[Petrosius]

The 16th amendment was not to authorize a tax on income from wages and salaries. Wages and salaries are considered an excise and as such were already subject to direct taxation. Rather it was to allow taxation on capital, such as, capital gains, stock dividends and interest on bonds. Repeal the 16th amendment and your wages will still be taxed but Wall Street will not be.

[central_va]

Understanding the 16th Amendment

The text of the 16th Amendment is as follows:

The Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.

[central_va]

The first permanent federal income tax was levied in 1913: the schedule consisted of seven brackets, with rates ranging from 1%, on the first $20,000 of income, to 6% on income exceeding $500,000. The government raised a total of $28.3 million. (These figures are not adjusted for inflation.) 1913

The year the first permanent federal income tax was levied.

What Did the 16th Amendment Accomplish?

The 16th Amendment allowed Congress to enact the first nationwide income tax, which is now the Federal government's largest source of revenue. Prior to that point, most Federal revenue came from tariffs.