The IRS (Internal Revenue Service) is of course the center institution of the USA tax system. You can find it at the friendly URL –  http://www.irs.gov/.  That’s all well and good, but we thought in our blog it would be interesting to share some other fun facts about the IRS one can learn.  Here we go (start your timer):

  • Did you know that the IRS has its own “fun” tax quote page on the Website.  Yes it does, right here – http://www.irs.gov/uac/Tax-Quotes. See and you thought that the IRS did not have a sense of humor. Among the more humorous quotes, we find: “A tax loophole is ‘something that benefits the other guy. If it benefits you, it is tax reform’ ~ Russel B. Long US Senator. And really you could say that quote at the top of the page itself is priceless: “When it comes to taxes, everyone has an opinion. These quotes reflect the opinions of their authors; their inclusion here is not an official IRS endorsement of the sentiments expressed.”
  • The 16th amendment, ratified in 1913, established the first permanent US income tax – four states rejected it – Connecticut, Florida, Rhode Island and Utah.
  • There are more than seven million words in the tax law and regulations… if those were pilled high, they’d reach the moon (well nearly so).
  • The 1040 EZ (for EASY) has nearly 33 pages of instructions in a typical year.  And that’s the EASY form.
  • Tax mascot? Yes the subject was indeed discussed; Donald Duck was among the contenders, and the Walt Disney Corporation created two films to support the expansion of the income tax featuring Mr. Duck.  You can watch one of them on YouTube, at http://youtu.be/00u6qUelp6c.

Off the Grid facts about the IRSSo there you have it. Taxes CAN be fun (when you look at them with a sense of humor, and you’re not immediately writing your check). If you are looking for serious IRS help in San Francisco or elsewhere in California or the Bay Area, reach out to our tax experts. And watch that YouTube video – it’s pretty funny!