Posted on 02/01/2025 4:16:20 PM PST by ammodotcom
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 collectively spend more than 6 billion hours each year filling out tax forms, keeping records, and learning new tax rules according to the Office of Management and Budget. Complying with the byzantine U.S. tax code is estimated to cost the American economy hundreds of billions of dollars annually – time and money that could otherwise be used for more productive activities like entrepreneurship and investment, or just more family and leisure time.
The majority of these six billion hours sacrificed by Americans to Washington each year goes to complying with a tax that didn’t even exist until 100 years ago – the federal income tax.
Worse still, this tax has become a political weapon for Washington to incentivize certain activities (home ownership, charitable giving, etc.) and to punish others. It’s a tax that follows Americans wherever they go in the world, and it’s one that was originally sold to the American people by President Woodrow Wilson as a means of “soaking the rich” during the so-called Gilded Age.
How did a country that was founded on the concept of limited government come to embrace such a draconian policy? And what does it say about Washington that tax reform has become synonymous with class warfare and corporate lobbyists?
Read on to learn the history of the 16th Amendment – which authorized the federal collection of an income tax – and how that power has ultimately meant the growth of Washington at the expense of just about everyone else.
(Excerpt) Read more at ammo.com ...
How did a country that was founded on the concept of limited government come to embrace such a draconian policy?
Lies and distortions.
And so on.
“Soak the rich” was sponsored by the rich, as they quickly exempted most of their wealth with tax-exempt foundations in which they hid most of their perquisites
They really meant “Soak the people who want to be rich” to get rid of their competition.
Yep, and tax the middle class to fund their children's "free" education, dedicated to keeping them in corporate servitude.
The 16th and 17th both need to go.
Then we take a real hard look at the 19th.
L
That the Federal Reserve can print money at will proves that the income tax was never needed. It was about control, nothing else.
I think property taxes are worse than income tax. Property taxes mean we don’t own property, we only have it at the discretion of the government.
Thoughts about the 19th. I personally, love a woman engaged in politics. Real politics, not indoctrinated, superficial bumbersticker feelings. I know a heck of a lot more better women than either Lindsay or Mitch could be if they transitioned. I would want them as my Representative more than those two lackluster Senators. Can we ban Democrat women from voting? That would solve everything.
At the minimum there should be an exemption for one of your properties with a dwelling on it. Raw land should not be taxed at all.
But yes, Property taxes need to go.
Go back to having to own property to vote, and carve out specifically it must either be 1/10 of an acre, or have a livable domicile on it. I’d say being active or retired military should count as well.
That will eliminate the Basement dwellers and the welfare bums
It is worse than that. I remember over 40yrs ago voting for the lottery to fund schools. It passed, and lottery funds schools but the county still continues to collect school property taxes.
I learned never to vote for a tax increase, it does not matter is they children will die. I will vote against it.
The US tax system is about Control, perhaps more than collecting revenue. Imagine how much more free you would be without the IRS and SSA forcing employers to report on your work activity; banks and brokerages, etc. to spy on and report your assets and investment activity, etc. Businesses have to organize their operations around complying with IRS diktats.
ping
Worse still, this tax has become a political weapon>>> The so called income tax levied on incomes now taxes wages as well as income. The US gov can tax what it wants. however direct wages taxes must be apportioned among the states. Since the 16th amendment didn’t apply to wages. SCOTUS applied the income tax to all appurtenances to wealth, clearly not at the direction or intent of the 16th amendment.
The 16th amendment was the worst mistake made by this country. It is fully responsible fir the bloated, out of control, swamp and deep state we currently live under.
So we are saying “wages” are not officially considered income, but are taxed anyway?
The Constitution gives the power to tax to the Congress. It is unqualified in its potential. This why Roberts was able to finesse the decision supporting Obamacare, by redefining it’s penalties for non participants as a “tax,” even though the obama people vigorously objected to the use of the politically unpopular term. As for the income tax, it was a “soak the rich” scam from the start and everyone knew it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.