Dave Barry: Size of US Tax Code

Dave 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.

Ronald Reagan: Federal Government Taxpayers

Ronald Reagan Money Quotation saying We’ve heard that the average taxpayer works an average of 103 days of each year for the government (IRS) and the rest for themselves. Ronald Reagan said:
 

 

“The taxpayer: that’s someone who works for the federal government, but doesn’t have to take a civil service examination” — Ronald Reagan

In this quote, Ronald Reagan is satirically taking aim at the size and scope of the federal government bureaucracy. His interpretation is that many government employees, despite not having to pass a competitive civil service exam, are essentially “taxpayers” themselves since they rely on tax revenue to fund their jobs rather than directly providing goods or services.

Reagan appears to be suggesting that a large portion of government workers are indirectly subsidized by taxpayers but lack accountability or performance standards associated with a merit-based civil service. The overall message seems to be criticism of what Reagan viewed as an bloated government workforce more focused on self-perpetuation through taxation rather than on efficient service delivery and value for taxpayers.

Birthday: February 6, 1911 – Death: June 5, 2004

John Andrew Holmes: Lord Hates Taxpayers

Funny Money Quotes: Comparing the idea of ‘Giving’ to the unhappy ‘giver’ required to ‘give’ their taxes to the IRS and that God must find our attitude less than charitable. John Andrew Holmes said:
 

 

“If the Lord loveth a cheerful giver, how he must hate the taxpayer!” — John Andrew Holmes

John Andrew Holmes seems to be drawing a distinction between voluntary charitable giving versus mandatory tax payments. The quote references the biblical notion that God favors those who donate happily (“the cheerful giver”).

However, Holmes then wryly adds that if this is true, God must strongly dislike taxpayers, since they relinquish funds not through personal choice but under legal obligation.

In essence, the message is that taxes, which are enforced contributions rather than freely given donations, lack the spirit of goodwill that religious teachings associate with favored acts like almsgiving.

Holmes appears to be jokingly suggesting one who pays taxes only out of compulsion may not receive the same divine favor as those who willingly support causes through donations given from the heart.

Birthday: January 6, 1904 – Death: June 22, 1962