Mind the Gap

By Paul McLeary

Americans have had a long, uncertain history with taxation. A full national income tax wasn’t established until 1862, and it was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court 34 years later. In 1913 the 16th Amendment to the Constitution permitted the income tax to be made a permanent [RETURN TO ARTICLE]

  • Reader Comments

     Page 1 of 1 pages

    why ? when i find an article that i think my friends should see ,when i attempt to email them it is refused. the only way to successfuly get thru is to submit one name at atime.it becomes so onerous i finally give up.this is the only site where i encounter this.cant this be corrected

    United States Posted by walter miller on Mar 13, 2004 at 4:30 PM

    The tax code desperately needs simplifying, but any change meets resistance from unexpected quarters. The sad fact is that the middle classes will always bear the largest buden, they are the engine that drives this country. I’ve seen the math, and even if all the rich folk were taxed to the bone, the resultant amount is still nothing compared to the tax revenue from the middle class. I’m not saying a certain amount of progressivism in the tax rate is bad, but fleecing the rich does little except make those less fortunate feel better.

    United States Posted by Jon on Mar 14, 2004 at 7:32 PM

    The point is well taken, but the comment concerning Gates is inaccurate.  The $87,000 is a per person cap.  If within a married couple the husband and wife are both employed then they are each subject individually to the 87,000 cap not combined into one cap.  No doubt countless others wrote back on this point.  Furthermore if they are self-employed but still Middle or Upper-middle Class they are subject to even a higher rate.

    United States Posted by Eric Gerber on Mar 16, 2004 at 3:34 PM

    Excellent book. Exposes some of the corruption in Washington. Sneaky under the table deals by the rich, for the rich.

    United States Posted by Thomas Dowling on Mar 17, 2004 at 11:12 PM
     Page 1 of 1 pages

  • register a new account »Posting Security

    To participate in our forums, please register for a free account.
     

    Retreive lost password »