Who signed the Income Tax into law?

[A18]

In the 1900s?

[J-Mann]

I believe the income tax became permenant in 1913, so that would have been Wilson.

[Gabu]

Yeah, Woodrow Wilson was the one, if you're talking about the 16th amendment.

[The Dowager Mod]

The sixteenth amendment was introduced by the Republicans as part of a political scheme to trick the Democrats, but it backfired.

[A18]

It wasn't really a political scheme. It was just a way for them to oppose any income tax the Democrats introduced without looking like they were the party of the rich.

But I'm not talking about the 16th amendment. Presidents don't sign those. Or if they do, that's stupid. Point is, the 16th amendment only allowed for an income tax - it didn't itself start one.

Now, if not for the vote being split in 1912...

[Gabu]

Well, the income tax was first brought into play in 1862, so that would have been Abraham Lincoln.

[??????????]

The methods in which the 16th Amendment was ratified were very questionable.

[J-Mann]

Well, the income tax was first brought into play in 1862, so that would have been Abraham Lincoln.

That income tax was later suspended.  We didn't have the permenant tax structure that we do today until 1913.

[A18]

The methods in which the 16th Amendment was ratified were very questionable.

Is there a reliable source that shows this?

[The Dowager Mod]

 an income tax was levied during the Civil War and upheld by the Supreme Court on somewhat tenuous reasoning. When another income tax was enacted in 1893, the Supreme Court found it unconstitutional. In connection with the two Pollock cases reviewed in 1895, the Court declared that the act violated Article I, section 9 of the Constitution.

[A18]

The FDR solution to this: stock the courts.

If we ever get 60 votes in the Senate, we should expand the Supreme Court by a good 5 to 7 seats and appoint a bunch of young constitutionalists.

[J. J.]

Well once the amendment was passed, it couldn't be unconstitutional.

[A18]

It doesn't matter what the Constitution says. It matters what the Supreme Court says the Constitution says.

So we all agree that Wilson is the one to blame? We need to kill this thing off before the 100 year anniversary.

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

Wilson really had very little to do with it....the 16th Amendent was enacted a few weeks after he took office.

If was Taft that first recommended an income tax Amendment, spurred on by progressive Republican leadership in Congress.

[Sulfur]

I support significant simplification of the income tax. Your first $35,000 should be tax free. After that, set the rate at about 18%.

Another idea is a national sales tax. While tempting, this would be double taxation on people's life savings.

The biggest problem with a simplified income tax with no deductions are, in my view, charitable donations. I'm not sure what to do with that matter.

[A18]

I'm for a sales tax. The income tax violates property rights, IMO.

[MODU]

A simple explaination of the US Income Tax history (additional links provided for your ease of use - in bold):

From Wikipedia

History of income tax in the USA
In order to help pay for its war effort in the American Civil War, the United States government issued its first personal income tax, on August 5, 1861 as part of the Revenue Act of 1861 (3% of all incomes over US $800; rescinded in 1872). Other income taxes followed, although a 1895 Supreme Court ruling limited the sources of income that Congress could tax without apportionment. The Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution removed the limitations, paving the way for the income tax to become the government's main source of revenue. In 1913 the tax rate was 1 percent on taxable net income above $3,000 ($4,000 for married couples), less deductions and exemptions. It rose to a rate of 7 percent on incomes above $500,000.

During World War I the top rate rose to 77 percent.

Following the war the top rate was scaled down (to a low of 25 percent).

During the Great Depression and World War II, the top income tax rate rose again, reaching 91% during the war; this top rate remained in effect until 1964.

In 1964 the top rate was decreased to 70%, and then to 50% in 1981.

The Tax Reform Act of 1986 reduced the top rate to 28%, at the same time raising the bottom rate from 11% to 15% (in fact 15% and 28% became the only two tax brackets).

During the 1990s the top rate rose again, standing at 39.6% by the end of the decade.

In 2001 the top rate was cut to 35% and the bottom rate was cut to 10%.

[A18]

There are only two tax brackets?