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Famous Tax Quote #34 - A Word is Not a Crystal

2010-09-24

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Continuing our series on Famous Tax Quotes (quotes from court opinions with language that is colorful or that concisely states an important tax principle) today's tax quote is:

A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged, it is the skin of a living thought and may vary greatly in color and content according to the circumstances and the time in which it is used. 

Green v. Commissioner, 59 T.C. 456 (1972), quoting Justice Holmes in Towne v. Eisner, 245 U.S. 418 (1918).

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