Going the Extra Mile for Our Clients

The phrase “we go the whole 9 yards” just doesn’t cut it for Expatriate Tax Returns. While that cliche means that a business is willing to go the distance, it’s unclear where the term even came from. At Expatriate Tax Returns, we prefer living by the mantra of going the EXTRA MILE. Here’s why.

William Safire, the late language columnist at the New York Times, asked listeners for information regarding the origin of the phrase “go the whole 9 yards” back in 1982 on Larry King’s radio show. Safire ended up writing nine columns on the subject and is largely responsible for the interest in it. In 1986, the phrase was added to the Oxford English Dictionary with the earliest citation given as 1970. Even though Safire did a lot of research to figure out where the phrase came from, he wasn’t able to discover the origin. We should point out that the most commonly offered explanation is that World War II aircraft machine gun belts were nine yards long. Another explanation is that it comes from American football’s first down. After 3 unsuccessful attempts to achieve a total of a 10 yard gain for a first down, the ball is still only marginally forward of the initial line of scrimmage (hence still 9+ yards to go to achieve a down). The final attempt to achieve the Down requires moving the ball forward from the line of scrimmage the requisite 9+ yards. Technically, if the ball is currently BEHIND the initial line of scrimmage the phrase should be “the whole TEN yards”. So it just doesn’t make sense.

Our tax professionals at ExpatriateTaxReturns.com are capable and willing to take the extra time to help our clients. Filing tax returns for expats requires an added level of dedication and that’s why we prefer the mantra “Going the extra mile for our clients.” Sure, we could say that we go the whole 9 yards, but since no one really knows what that means, we’ll stick with the extra mile phrase.

No to mention that our clients are so many miles (or kilometers!) away from us, we really do go the extra mile — at least virtually using the Internet.

Call Expatriate Tax Returns today to see how we’re going to go the extra mile for you. That’s our pledge and you can hold us to it!