Ohio Woman Suspended for Tax Form Humor

New York Times ^ | February 3, 2005

[NCjim]

The city's tax superintendent has been suspended without pay for a week for trying to inject some humor in the city income tax filing instructions.

The forms -- with such lines as, ``If we can tax it, we will,'' -- were sent last week to all Middletown businesses and residents who pay city income tax.

The attempt at humor by Linda Stubbs was called ``misguided'' by city Finance Director John Lyons.

Lyons said revised forms were sent out immediately at a cost to taxpayers of about $5,500.

Among the lines that city officials didn't think were very funny was this one:

``Free advice: if you don't have a profit in a five-year period, you might want to consider another line of work.''

Middletown is about 25 miles northeast of Cincinnati.

[xJones]

I can't believe she doesn't work for the IRS...

[PennsylvaniaMom]

Well, if she gets a per diem for every early morning drive time radio station that interviews her; and then does Letterman, Leno, et al., she can live nicely til she finds a new job...LOL!

[Brian328i]

If we can tax it, we will

Thats humor? I always thought that was the truth.

[atomicpossum]

Funny. And sad.

[NCjim]

Remember the three-line simplified tax form?

1. Enter gross income.
2. Enter taxes withheld.
3. Balance due (subtract line 2 from line 1)

[Caesar Soze]

The first line is funny, and true. The second line could be conceived as financial advice, and should not have been put into an official publication.

[SamAdams76]

I had another dream where I thought I was dying and then I woke up. I believe that if I ever let myself "die" in my dream, that I would never wake up. I think this might be what happened to people who "die in their sleep." So if you dream you are dying, you should wake yourself up immediately before it is too late.

[Lx]

What if you dream you're being born?

[ZinGirl]

Linda Stubbs

stubbs? no way...too funny

[NRA2BFree]

LOL! The problem is that some people just don't have a sense of humor. I think it's funny.

[GSlob]

There used to be a long form as well: I remember the lines on moving expenses (subtract your current address from the address a year ago; if less than $400, not eligible); on theft losses (list everything you failed to steal) and also demands for a [text explanation] on some numbered line - with instruction several lines down to multiply that line [i.e. explanation] by something else.

[perfect stranger]

I'd love to see this tax form scanned.

[xJones]

What if you dream you're being born?

You lay off the Lamaze classes.

[Fiddlstix]

Click the Pic J

[GeronL]

``If we can tax it, we will,''

Thats humor? I thought it was true.

[Duke Nukum]

Can't have folk laughing at the gummit, next you know, they'll laugh at the idea of paying a lgbt counceler $100,000/year in the public schools while teachers are only getting somewhere around $40,000.

Can you imagine how much better the world would be if we could get rid of all the shrinks? Shrinks are way worse then lawyers, IMO, 'cause shrinks actually need you to believe you're sick in order to take advantage of you whereas lawyers just do it the old fashioned way, by baffling you. And choosing really, really stupid juries. But it's less manipulative, isn't it?

[Ciexyz]

Who did she think pays her salary? The poor taxpayers who she insulted.

[ApplegateRanch]

Isn't that the one that replaced:

1 Enter gross income
2 Enter 10% of Line 1
3 Enter sum of Lines 1 & 2
4 Enter taxes withheld (subtract from Line 3
5 Balance due (Remit last week)

[BJungNan]

Lyons said revised forms were sent out immediately at a cost to taxpayers of about $5,500.

Now there is the idiot that should be fired, spending $5,500 to send out new forms.