Back in the tax day

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.