What Next? Contest: Tax Code - May 1, 2009

Click here for results of last week's What Next? Contest: Astronauts

Results: A brilliant deduction! With the federal income tax code reaching 70,320 pages, we asked you what strange, unheralded tax rule or bit of information might be buried on page 49,106. You replied: THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK. Sorry, I’m only at page 48,437. My God, it’s a naked picture of H& R Block—together! And…

FIRST PRIZE: The Table of contents.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Justin M. Zimack, Vista, CA

SECOND PRIZE: “Please ignore ALL information on pages 1 through 49,105.”

Barry Frank, Astoria, NY

THIRD PRIZE: “Politicians are tax exempt until somebody finds out.”

Brett Hammond, Farmington, UT (first of many similar responses)

Honorable mentions:

“Rule No. 124.225.153(B)(2)(ii)(c): All previously declared non-taxable income shall hereinafter become taxable.”

Pattricia Vienna, Redondo Beach, CA

“By your thorough and careful analysis of this document we regret that you have failed the initial screening for a seat in the U.S. Congress.”

Susan Vickery, Naples, FL

“Congratulations! You found it! Check box ‘c’ on line 54 of Form 1040, write, ‘I found it,” on the explanation line and give yourself a $10 tax credit.”

Allen Hall, Westford, MA

“Exemption 42: This exemption is used for claiming non-exempt exemptions. Please refer to Publication 404 for further instructions. NOTE: Publication 404 is currently being revised.”

Mark Severin, Puyallup, WA

“See chart on page 2.”

Jeffrey Way, Beachwood, NJ

“Agricultural corporations that received subsidies for not growing corn during the tax year are entitled to deduct up to 80% of expenses incurred in the research and development of alternative methods for not growing corn.”

Mark McGuire, Reno, NV

“Those rich enough to hire tax attorneys can pretty much ignore the first 49,105 pages and the next 20,000 or so pages as well. Just make some small, token payment. OK, now back to how we’re going to stick it to everyone else...”

Daniel Burstein, Jacksonville, FL