Workers on Capitol Hill owe $9.3. million in back taxes, according to a report in the Washington Post today.
The data doesn't include any information on who is in debt to the IRS, such as name or job title. It also doesn't say whether any members of Congress are included in the ranks of people with unpaid taxes. Of the 18,000 or so congressional employees, 638 owe taxes. That rate of about 4 percent is slightly higher than the national average of 3 percent.
The IRS debt on the Hill has risen in the past few years, although the current level is roughly equal to the amount owed by congressional staff each year from 2004-2007, the last three years Republicans were in control of Congress. In 2007, the total dropped to $6.8 million when Democrats took over and has increased the past few years to the current level.
One explanation could be new staffers hired from the private sector, where wages as lobbyists or consultants can be higher than congressional aides. The Post talked to LegiStorm's president Jock Friedly about this trend:
Friedly, who publicizes congressional salaries on the Web site LegiStorm, said many new staffers come from the private sector, where they worked as lobbyists or in other higher-paying jobs. "They go to a somewhat lower-paying government job and then, over time, debt starts to build up," Friedly said.
