// BEGIN editorial data var i = 0; var Biz_TaxTrivia = new Array(); Biz_TaxTrivia.ID = "Biz_TaxTrivia"; Biz_TaxTrivia.ID_WB = 7505760; Biz_TaxTrivia.sPubDate = "4/15/2005 7:32:54 PM GMT"; Biz_TaxTrivia.navsectionID = "3032071" Biz_TaxTrivia.appFmt = 2; Biz_TaxTrivia.itemsPerPage = 1; Biz_TaxTrivia.appWidth = 460; Biz_TaxTrivia.appHeader = "Fact file|Tax trivia"; Biz_TaxTrivia.appDeck = "Some random facts about the government’s bread and butter."; Biz_TaxTrivia.appFooter = "Source: The Associated Press"; Biz_TaxTrivia.appNavStyle = 3; Biz_TaxTrivia.appLayout = 3; Biz_TaxTrivia.copyHeight = 215; Biz_TaxTrivia.copyWidth = 330; Biz_TaxTrivia.copyMargin = 9; Biz_TaxTrivia[i++] = new Array("","The quote","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); Biz_TaxTrivia[i-1].body = "
  • Is often paraphrased as \"nothing is certain but death and taxes.\"
  • The actual quote: \"in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.\"
  • Benjamin Franklin wrote those words
    November 13, 1789.
  • The famous phrase was in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Leroy.
  • The full quote is: \"Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.\""; Biz_TaxTrivia[i++] = new Array("","Random tax facts","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); Biz_TaxTrivia[i-1].body = "
  • It costs $2.45 for the IRS to collect each $100 in taxes.
  • 21% of paper returns have errors.
  • 0.5% of e-file returns have errors.
  • Aztecs used cocoa beans for money. Owners were taxed four cocoa beans for one rabbit."; Biz_TaxTrivia[i++] = new Array("","Cash back","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); Biz_TaxTrivia[i-1].body = "
  • Out of 127,982,000 individual income tax returns submitted for tax year 2003, the IRS issued 99,287,000 refunds. That’s 78%.
  • The IRS refunded more than $205 billion to taxpayers for tax year 2003.
  • average refund amount for 2003 tax returns was $2,073.
  • That’s up from $1,980 in the prior year."; Biz_TaxTrivia[i++] = new Array("","Speeding up the process","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); Biz_TaxTrivia[i-1].body = "
  • 47% of the total 2003 individual tax returns were e-filed.
  • As of mid-August 2004, the IRS received nearly 128 million individual tax returns with more than 61 million filed by an electronic method.
  • The goal is to have 80% of all individual returns e-filed by 2007.
  • Over 85% of 2003 individual tax returns were prepared on a computer.
    "; Biz_TaxTrivia[i++] = new Array("","Most misused tax number","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); Biz_TaxTrivia[i-1].body = "
  • The most misused Social Security number of all time was 078-05-1120.
  • That was on a fake, display \"Social Security\" card put in wallets sold at Woolworth in 1938.
  • The number belonged to the manufacturer’s secretary, Hilda Schrader Whitcher.
  • The sample card had no name on it and many confused it with their Social Security number.
  • In all, at least 40,000 people used Hilda’s number on their taxes.
    "; Biz_TaxTrivia[i++] = new Array("","Tax firsts","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); Biz_TaxTrivia[i-1].body = "
  • First income tax: 1404 in England. It was so hated that parliament burned all records of it.
  • First U.S. income tax: 1862, the federal government was raising money for the Civil War.
  • First permanent U.S. income tax: 1913. Part of the 16th amendment.
    "; Biz_TaxTrivia[i++] = new Array("","Presidential taxes","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); Biz_TaxTrivia[i-1].body = "
  • George W. Bush, 2003: declared $822,000 in income. Paid $227,000 in taxes.
  • George and Laura Bush had a big change on their 2003 tax return. It was the first filed without claiming dependents, Barbara and Jenna.
  • George W. Bush, 2000: declared $744,682 in income. Paid $240,000 in taxes.
  • Dick Cheney, 2003: declared $1.2 million in income. Paid $253,067 in taxes.
  • Dick Cheney, 2000: declared $36 million in income. Paid $14.3 million in taxes.
  • Bill Clinton, 1999: declared $416,000 in adjusted income. Paid $92,000 in taxes.
  • George H.W. Bush, 1991: declared $1.3 million in income. Paid $204,000 in taxes.
  • Ronald Reagan, 1987: declared $345,000 in income. Paid $86,000 in taxes.
  • Jimmy Carter,1979: declared $195,000 in income. Paid 64,000 in taxes."; Biz_TaxTrivia[i++] = new Array("","Peter the Great:
    A tax machine","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); Biz_TaxTrivia[i-1].body = "Some things he taxed were:

    Peter the Great levied extensive taxes to pay for his reign and to westernize Russia.
    "; // END editorial data