A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.You are absolutely correct to tie this directly to communism. The 16th Amendment enshrined the Second Plank of Communism (text above) in the US Constitution. Before this, the federal government was funded by tariffs, which greatly limited its size and prevented it from growing into a leviathan.
“A heavy progressive or graduated income tax”
I explained it to my son thusly...
When you go to buy a vehicle, do they give you a price sheet that’s graduated by income?
Does the tree trimmer get to buy a MB 500 SEL for a few hundred bucks, while the thoracic surgeon pays $105K?
We’re paying for a service. The Communists think it’s a gang fee, a vig paid on a percentage.
Like Biden.