Dear Federal Income Tax,
I wanted to send you this note on your 100th birthday. My, how big you’ve grown!
It was on this day a century ago that President Woodrow Wilson signed a law allowing the federal government to collect income taxes on all citizens. So Oct. 3 is a time to celebrate you for lasting this long and making it this far. You never let up: One hundred years of doing your job without a single day off—something that can’t be said about the government you support. Just think of the many people who never wanted you born and have been trying to cut or kill you ever since.
The Federal Income Tax Turns 100: How Big It’s Grown – Businessweek