Income tax was created to help America during the depression, and was meant to be temporary. What hapened?

Answer 1

The 16th Amendment which authorized direct income taxes (ratified in 1913, confirmed by the Supreme Court in 1916 -- details below) had no expiration date.

Since Congress could authorize the taking of income taxes, and since that gave Congress more money to do things, Congress decided they liked the idea and kept on taking more money.

Congress could repeal Title 26 at any time. They just won't because the like having control over all that money.

Answer 2

It has been my experience that a tax of any kind is never temporary. Once enacted it is there to stay. I remember when the toll over the George Washington bridge in New York was .25 cents and would be enforced only until the bridge has been paid in full. The toll now is several dollars and the bridge has been paid for many times over its original cost. Will the toll be dropped? No way. They use the money to pay for various odd schemes that would not pass if money had to be allocated for them.

Answer 3

I may be wrong, but I believe the income tax actually came about during the first world war. Doesn't make a lot of logical sense to add a new tax in the middle of a depression, does it?

What happened? Government grew, as it always does when it has money to spend. And it almost never, ever, shrinks again.

Answer 4

Greedy politicians got a taste for free money! It makes me sick how hard people work and how much is taken out for taxes. I would not be so angry if the money was going towards helping the sick, the needy, the homeless, the elderly, education for our children or giving our school teachers better salaries but instead our tax dollars are going towards dropping bombs on civilians and bullets into innocent people! Attacking other countries while so much needs to be taken care of right here at home!

Answer 5

The 16th amendment of 1913 authorized the income tax.
Another bad move in 1913, was the creation of the Federal Reserve, which disco-ordinated the economy, and made the recovery from the depression take longer.

Answer 6

The US Government kept finding worthwhile things to spend money on (according to most voters) ranging from financing the national debt, national forest preserves, subsidies to industries and farming, national defense, aggressive forign policies, anti-poverty programs, public education, law enforcement, and so on.
And they needed to find a way to fund all of this stuff, particularly in an age of free trade where tariffs won't make enough money to make the budget. Hence, income taxes.

Answer 7

Income tax was first upheld by the Supreme Court in 1909.

Edit:

Found it: The first income tax in the US was in 1861, used to finance the Civil War.

The tax was challenged in Springer vs. the US on the grounds that the constitution prohibited taxes that were "direct" and not apportioned by state per population.

This income tax was allowed to continue until it expired in 1872 (apparently it had a "sunset" clause). It was reenacted in 1894 with little change. Again, constitutionality was challenged in Pollack vs. Farmer's Loan and Trust Co. This time, the tax was struck down.

A new corporate income tax was passed in 1909 and upheld in Flint vs. Stone Tracy Co.

Answer 8

Woodrow Wilson said the tax would never go above 3%. He also said that only the wealthy would have to pay it. LoL

Answer 9

Income tax was made permanent to defray the many expenses of the government particularly the war against the terror.

Answer 10

actually there is a book on this, but I forget. Taxes are voluntary as I remember. I pay because I have to