As I mentioned earlier, I recently had the opportunity to
attend an event where Steve Forbes, CEO of Forbes Media, and John Schlifske,
CEO of Northwestern Mutual, spoke on the Power of a Game Plan.
Forbes is a well-known advocate for simplifying the tax code and implementing a flat income tax.
Gettysburg Address: 272 words
Bill of Rights: 462 words
Declaration of Independence: 1363 words
US Constitution: 4440 words
The most stunning figure is this:
US Tax Code & Regulations: 9,000,000
words
Yes, you read that right: 9 million words. (A year ago it was estimated at 8 million.)
It's a bit puzzling, isn't it? The US has the shortest constitution of any
country in the world, but one of the longest and most complex tax codes. The official
code contains 16,000 pages. Add in IRS rulings and the total jumps to 70,000
pages.
The Founding Fathers used 6265 words to declare
independence, define essential rights and launch a nation. Today, that nation devotes
9 million words to one issue, income taxes.
Dare I say it? When it comes to making words count, it
appears the IRS could at minimum use a good editor.
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