TIDBITS
Tax Cheaters
In September 2019 , the government projected our nation ’ s tax gap , i . e ., the difference between what all taxpayers should have paid compared to what they actually paid , was $ 441 billion per year . On April 13 , IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig testified before the Senate Finance Committee the tax gap could be as high as $ 1 trillion annually , or more than double the previous estimate ( source : IRS , BTN Research ).
Wood
The average cost of building a new single-family home in the U . S . has increased by 8 percent in the last year ($ 24,000 ) solely because of the rising cost of lumber . Lumber mills shut down nationwide in 2020 for as long as four months , leading to a lumber shortage as homebuilding demand accelerated . Lumber imports into the U . S . have been impacted by a beetle plague ravaging Canadian forests ( source : National Association of Homebuilders , BTN Research ).
Half
49 percent of the United States ’ 330 million population maintain their health insurance through an employer ’ s health insurance plan either as an employee or a dependent of an employee ( source : Kaiser Family Foundation , BTN Research ).
Florida Legislature Schedule
With summer fast-approaching , it won ’ t be long before the Florida Legislature returns to Tallahassee for Legislative Committee meetings . The 2022 Regular Legislative Session kicks off on January 11th , so the fall committee meetings will lay the ground work for the impending Session .
Legislative Committee Weeks :
■ Monday , September 20 – Friday , September 24 , 2021
■ Monday , October 11 – Friday , October 15 , 2021
■ Monday , October 18 – Friday , October 22 , 2021
■ Monday , November 1 – Friday , November 5 , 2021
■ Monday , November 15 – Friday , November 19 , 2021
■ Monday , November 29 – Friday , December 3 , 2021
Legislative Session :
■ Tuesday January 11 - Friday , Friday , March 22 , 2022
28 DITCHMEN • MAY 2021