1. “Uncle Sam wants you to be healthy! If you quit smoking, you can write off any smoking cessation products or programs. Have a life-threatening medical condition like diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease? If a doctor signs off on it, you can write off diet/fitness products, classes, and programs. One person was able to write off the cost of their new pool because it was their form of exercise, as signed off by a doctor.” – Ivy Chou, Content Director for DealsPlus (@DealsPlus).
2. “Income tax didn’t exist until the Civil War, in 1861, but the tax was actually disbanded in 1872 because it was deemed unconstitutional. It wasn’t until 1913 when the constitution was changed, via the 16th amendment, that these taxes were again re-introduced.” – Emilee Morehouse, SimpleKeep (@SimpleKeepHQ).
3. “There are more words in the tax code than there are in the Bible. The tax code is about 4 million words long.” – Marc Roche, Co-founder and CEO of Annuities HQ (@AnnuitiesHQ).
4. “The first known taxes were in Sumer (Mesopotamia) almost 5,000 years ago. They were recorded on clay cones and paid in livestock.” – Josh Zimmelman, owner of Westwood Tax & Consulting (@westwoodtax).
5. The writing on the Rosetta Stone, a monumentally important artifact and the key to deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, is mostly about taxes.
6. “The IRS was created during World War II and that’s when the government starting withholding taxes from paychecks.” – Josh Zimmelman, owner of Westwood Tax & Consulting (@westwoodtax).
7. “In the 1st century, the Roman emperor taxed urine. It was collected for the ammonia and used to launder garments and tan hides.” – Josh Zimmelman, owner of Westwood Tax & Consulting (@westwoodtax).
8. Double amputees in Oregon get a $50 tax credit. Single amputees? They get bupkus.
9. “In England there is a tax on televisions. Color televisions are taxed more than black and white televisions, and if a blind person has a television they only have to pay half the tax. Truly bizarre!” – Max Robinson, Jumpstart Tax.
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