Will Rogers: Golf American Liars
on Saturday, April 16, 2011Will Rogers Money Quotation saying the perception that we lie on taxes starts with the IRS when they poke and prod at our income and ignore our expenses. Will Rogers said:
“Income taxes have made more liars out of the American people than golf” — Will Rogers
In this funny quote, Will Rogers is wittily comparing two pastimes that can encourage dishonesty – golf and paying income taxes. By suggesting that taxes have created more liars than golf, Rogers is jokingly implying that people are often tempted to fudge the truth or bend the rules more when filing their tax returns than when tallying their actual golf scores.
His point is that the complexity of the tax code and incentives to pay less can motivate questionable reporting of deductions and income. Through his trademark humorous style, Rogers highlights his perspective that the tax system, like the temptation to shave strokes in golf, can bring out dishonest tendencies in even normally honest people.
Birthday: November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935