Back in the tax day

April 17, 2007

If you don’t already know what your 2006 tax liability is, you will
by the end of the day. You’ll either precisely figure it so you can file your 1040 by midnight. Or you’ll have a close
approximation of your tax bill to send in with your Form 4868 extension request.

Wouldn’t it be cool to know what you would have owed back in 1913 when the first income tax form was created?

Now you can.

The folks at Political Calculations have created a calculator you can use to see what kind of tax bill your current income would produce using the 1913 form and laws.

I plugged in our income data and I must say, I prefer the 1913 version. It’s not just the simplicity of the older form. The real appeal is fiscal.

Our 2006 Form 1040 indicated that we owed Uncle Sam. But by using the 93-year-old form, we got back $300.

Ah, for the good old tax days!

In addition to playing with the original income tax form calculator, you can click on the 1913 Form 1040 below to find out the history of the U.S. income tax system.

1913_income_tax_form  

Share:

The More Tax Posts tab at the top of this page will take you to, well, more tax posts. You also can search below for a tax topic. 

Latest Posts
6 tax moves to consider this June

June 3, 2026

Definitely take a break this June. But taxes don’t take vacations. So, you also should…

Read More
Tax Season 2026 Continues!

We made it. Tax Day 2025 is finally over. For most of us. When the filing season started on Jan. 26, millions who were expecting refunds filed immediately. Most of us got our returns to the Internal Revenue Service by April 15. But plenty of taxpayers also got extensions. They are looking at an Oct. 15 filing deadline.

Those procrastinating filers aren’t a problem. In fact, the IRS appreciates taxpayers who take time to fill out their 1040 forms correctly. It also is grateful that tax submissions are spread out a bit, especially now that the IRS is a leaner agency. Processing returns is easier when they arrive throughout the year instead of in massive bunches.

But enough about Uncle Sam’s tax collection issues. The focus now is on all y’all who filed for extensions, giving you another six months to complete your return. Since your new mid-October due date will be here before you know it, let’s get started now on meeting it.

The ol’ blog is here to help you finish up your extended Form 1040. You can start with January’s tax tips page, which has links to the rest of the year’s tips by-month collections. You also can peruse various tax categories for more tailored advice by clicking on the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of this (and every) page.

And to make sure you don’t miss your new filing deadline, the count-down clock below will let you know just how much time you to file by Oct. 15. At the latest.e. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

Comments