Dave Barry: Size of US Tax Code
on Wednesday, April 13, 2011Dave Barry Money Quotation saying the monstrous complexity of the rules one must understand as a taxpayer to properly file taxes contributes to failure to pay. Dave Barry said:
“As a taxpayer, you are required to be fully in compliance with the United States Tax Code, which is currently the size and weight of the Budweiser Clydesdales” — Dave Barry
In this quote, Dave Barry is once again using humor and hyperbole to highlight the immense size and complexity of the U.S. tax code. Specifically:
- He notes that as taxpayers, full compliance with all tax rules is mandatory by law.
- However, he then dramatically compares the length of the tax code to the “size and weight of the Budweiser Clydesdales” – the huge draft horses that pull the Budweiser wagon in commercials.
This is an exaggerated way of saying the tax code has grown enormously long and burdensome. Just as the massive Clydesdale horses look intimidating, so too does fully understanding and following every provision of the tax system.
The overall message is that Dave Barry finds the tax code absurdly lengthy and complicated through this comedic analogy. It aims to resonate with taxpayers’ frustration at the difficulty of perfectly navigating our intricate tax laws.