Plenty of frazzled Americans might argue that, in terms of required stamina, filing tax returns (the national deadline was yesterday - though because of Patriot's Day, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Washington residents can file today instead) trumps completing the Boston marathon (which also took place yesterday). In this installment of "By the Numbers," the Daily explores all things taxation-related.
2 Days by which Tax Day was delayed this year (it's traditionally Apr. 15; this year, it was Apr. 17 because the 15th fell on a Saturday)
76 Number of lines in the standard Form 1040 tax return
142 Pages of instructions that go along with the form
1789 Year in which Ben Franklin said that "in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes"
1862 Year in which Congress implemented the United States' first income tax as "an emergency measure"
10 Years before that "emergency measure" was repealed
1894 Year in which Congress "enacted a tax on annual incomes exceeding $4,000"
1 Year until the U.S. Supreme Court declared that tax unconstitutional
1913 Year in which Congress became authorized "to lay and collect taxes on incomes"
16th Constitutional Amendment that allowed Congress to do so
30 Years after the 16th Amendment's ratification until the federal government began to require that employers withhold estimated taxes from their workers' paychecks
1 Income tax's rank on the list of the federal government's biggest revenue sources
65% 2004 tax returns that were submitted electronically
5 of 8 2004 tax refunds that "were transmitted directly into taxpayers' bank accounts rather than paid by paper checks"
58% Americans who say that the U.S. income tax system is "unjust," according to an Ipsos poll conducted two weeks ago
58% Americans who say that taxes for middle-income families are too high
54% Americans who say that taxes for low-income families are too high
6 in 10 Americans who say that taxes for high-income families are too low
8 in 10 Americans who said so 20 years ago
The information cited above comes from the Associated Press, the Boston Globe and the Washington File.
