© 2024 Michigan State University Board of Trustees
Public Media from Michigan State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Happy Birthday: Federal Income Tax Turns 100

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Good morning, I'm David Greene.

If you weren't finished with your taxes, you may have been buried in paperwork over the weekend. Not true for last-minute filers a century ago. While this year's 1040 tax form has 214 pages of instructions, in 1913 it was just one page. There was a section for how farmers should claim livestock including animal wool and hides. There was a line for losses sustained in firestorm or shipwreck. But sorry, the family account at the country store was not deductible.

It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Journalism at this station is made possible by donors who value local reporting. Donate today to keep stories like this one coming. It is thanks to your generosity that we can keep this content free and accessible for everyone. Thanks!