Tax Collector and IRS Costumes
Tax day is not something to look forward to, but it is inevitable, like death, they say. According to the Tax Foundation, it takes the average citizen 99 days to earn enough money to pay their annual tax obligations at the federal, state and local levels. Instead of getting depressed with the statistics, why not put a little character on the fated April 15 dressing up in a costume to protest the forced delivery of money to the government?
It all started a couple thousand years ago in the Roman Empire with the “publican.” Today, no one is surprised to learn that these early tax collectors were almost always described as greedy thieves who almost always took more than their share. In the age of Jesus, tax collectors were still correctly stereotyped as greedy and stingy officials, even though Jesus taught the parable of the repentant tax collector being judged higher than the proud Pharisee because the former humbly acknowledged his sin. . Point out that even this despised profession needs forgiveness by dressing in a biblical tax collector costume designed as a long gown adorned with fine damask.
Another historical costume idea is to dress as a protest at the Boston Tea Party around 1773; Many of the royal dissidents who dumped the tea boxes into the harbor were disguised as Mohawk Indians, while others wore standard colonial-era garb. If you want to dress up like a modern money hoarder, it’s not hard to put together a drab outfit reminiscent of an Internal Revenue Service employee. Visit the resale store to purchase a pair of polyester pants and a short-sleeved button-down shirt; Throw in some horn-rimmed glasses, an oversized calculator, and a large prop money bag brimming with play money. This reminds us of a joke. It is Halloween and a man rings the bell. You reply, annoyed that he’s apparently wearing plain, drab clothes, and you ask “who are you supposed to be?” The man responds, “I’m an IRS agent and I’m here to take 28% of your candy, which you put in your briefcase and then leave.
Another way to include a little socio-economic-political comment in your day is to dress up as your not-so-favorite politician who supports all the appropriations of money in your city, state, or country. Some of the most infamous politicians have realistic latex masks found in costume shops that you can simply pair with a dark suit. Speaking up and being an advocate for your own fair tax rights and creating a little bit of attention at the same time is a great reason to dress up in these costumes for men and women.
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