http://bhs.econ.census.gov/ec07/SUR1_1.html

Authorized penalties. The United States Code, Title 13, Chapter 7, coupled with the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984, Title 18, Section 3571, authorizes a fine of not more than $5000 for refusing to answer the census, and not more than $10,000 for willfully providing false information.


http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/uscod ... -000-.html

TITLE 13 > CHAPTER 7 > SUBCHAPTER II > § 221

§ 221. Refusal or neglect to answer questions; false answers
How Current is This?

(a) Whoever, being over eighteen years of age, refuses or willfully neglects, when requested by the Secretary, or by any other authorized officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or bureau or agency thereof acting under the instructions of the Secretary or authorized officer, to answer, to the best of his knowledge, any of the questions on any schedule submitted to him in connection with any census or survey provided for by subchapters I, II, IV, and V of chapter 5 of this title, applying to himself or to the family to which he belongs or is related, or to the farm or farms of which he or his family is the occupant, shall be fined not more than $100.

(b) Whoever, when answering questions described in subsection (a) of this section, and under the conditions or circumstances described in such subsection, willfully gives any answer that is false, shall be fined not more than $500.


?

I'm not a lawyer, but does it looks like the fines went up in 1984 before the 2010 Census?

Disconnected government decisions like this make me wonder if Bush is back in the White House...