Why is the famous income tax symbol a lion?

O Income tax it is a direct tax, that is, the citizen transfers part of his average annual income to the State. This tax is believed to have arisen in England, when the English government needed extra resources to fund the war against Napoleon Bonaparte's France. In Brazil, the first attempts to implement the tax took place in 1843. However, the pressure exerted by businessmen led the Income Tax to be instituted only in 1922, through Law 317, enacted on October 21st.
Symbol origin

It is common to hear expressions like "give an account to the lion” to designate the payment of that tax. It's also a fact: almost whenever we read something about him in a magazine or newspaper, for example, we always see the image of the feline. All of this started in 1979, when the IRS decided to create an advertising campaign to publicize the tribute. After analyzing many proposals, it was decided that the image of the Lion it was ideal for the campaign: a fair, loyal, and strong animal, and while it doesn't attack without warning, it's gentle but not silly.

Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)

This was exactly the idea that they wanted to convey: the government would not condone the evasion. The repercussion of the lion's advertising campaign was a success, since until today the image of the animal, even though it is no longer used by the Internal Revenue Service, is directly associated with the Income Tax.
By James Dantas
Brazil School Team

Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:

DANTAS, James. "Why is the famous income tax symbol a lion?"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/curiosidades/leao-imposto-renda.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.