Understanding the Constitution: Income taxes, other taxes & the 16th Amendment
The Constitution granted Congress power to impose personal income taxes before ratification of the 16th Amendment, but the 16th Amendment facilitated the power. This essay explains the amendment’s background and effect. This essay also corrects several longstanding...
The 16th Amendment: How the U.S. Federal Income Tax Became D.C.’s Favorite Political Weapon
The American Revolution was sparked in part by unjust taxation. After all, the colonists in Boston rebelled against Britain for imposing “taxation without representation,” and summarily tossed English tea into the harbor in protest in 1773. Nowadays Americans...