Nearly 2 Million Fewer Tax Returns Filed in 2009 vs. 2008

The IRS released statistics showing total filing figures for the country along with individual state statistics also. One of the most notable statistics reported was that there was nearly 2 million (1,730,061) fewer tax returns filed for the 2009 tax year versus the 2008 tax year. Many sources relate this to the economic downturn in 2008, and as more people lost their jobs, were unemployed or underemployed during this period. Many of them did not reach the minimum income level requiring them to file a tax return for 2009. The most recent minimum income thresholds that require a returns to be filed are: