Before the Income Tax:
"This year — 2013 — marks the 100th anniversary of the modern income tax, a tax that dominates the revenue scheme of the federal government today. Individual income taxes accounted for about 45 percent of all federal tax revenue in 2012, along with 35 percent for Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes (which are also a tax on income), 10 percent for corporate income taxes, and only 10 percent for all other tax sources. It wasn't always so. Prior to ratification of the 16th (income tax) Amendment, in February 1913, the Federal Government managed its few constitutional responsibilities without an income tax ... it did so largely - or even entirely - on import taxes called 'tarrifs,'"
Recommended reading:
The Great Betrayal - How American Soveregnty and Social Justice are Being Sacrificed to the Gods of the Global Economy, by Patrick Buchanan
To read some excerpts from this great book, check out a few of my posts:
Wal Mart Distances itself from Deadly Fire in Bangladesh
Attention Wal Mart Shoppers: Just Remember, Scabs Will Die!
