101 Late Fees Charged by the Government

By Nicholas Anthony of Cato.

"Under the Biden administration, the government has launched an all‐​out “war on junk fees.” This “war” has covered fees charged by airlines, concert venues, and much more. It has even spread to financial services. For instance, Senator Sherrod Brown (D‑OH) has said, “Credit card late fees are the most costly and frequently applied junk fee.”

Yet the administration has been curiously silent on all of the fees charged by the government itself. From the Internal Revenue Service to local libraries, there is no shortage of fees charged by the government. To get a better sense of these fees, the table below features 101 different late fees charged by the government. Rather than jump to restrict the freedoms of the private Americans trying to operate businesses, the administration should take some time to reflect on its own activities."