Tax Guru – Ker$tetter Letter

The old worn-out cliché that something isn’t Rocket Science does have a connection to the realm of taxes with the famous quote from Albert Einstein (the famous physicist and not the actor who was born with the same name, but changed it to Albert Brooks). IRS even includes this on its page of humorous tax quotes.

“The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax.”

For a very interesting look at the history of this quote from one of the planet’s most intelligent residents, check out this article from a website I just discovered courtesy of Mr. Google, QuoteInvestigator.com

In this article, author Garson O’Toole explains the history of this famous Einstein quote. It actually came from a 1963 letter to Time magazine from Einstein’s tax advisor-preparer, Leo Mattersdorf of New York City.  It adds a bit more depth and context to the quote we are all familiar with. 

…the professor turned to me and with his inimitable chuckle said: “The hardest thing in the world to understand is income taxes.” I replied: “There is one thing more difficult, and that is your theory of relativity.” “Oh, no,” he replied, ”that is easy.” To which Mrs. Einstein commented, “Yes, for you.”

I encourage anyone who is interested in learning more about Einstein’s feelings about taxes to read the full article.

I am discussing this as an introduction to some pictures we took a few days ago, while visiting the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Orlando.  Unlike other wax museums I have visited in San Francisco and Branson, the statues are not chained off, but are open and accessible for picture taking.  Sherry took these pics with her iPhone. 

At first, I thought some of the statues, including this one, might be shorter than the people actually were.  However, checking online, the records indicate that Einstein was around 5’7”, so this does look realistic.