Tax

They say death and taxes are the only two certain things in life. Alas, this wasn’t always the case. Well, at least for the income tax.

The History of Income Taxes

Our great nation came into existence in fits and starts. Following the revolt against the British, a federal government was elected and the fun began. This “fun” inevitably led to the situation where not everyone could agree on what the United States should stand for, much less what laws should be enacted. As a result, there was no federal income tax for nearly 100 years. Ah, the good ole days!

Instead of giving cash to charity at year-end you can donate stock or mutual fund shares that you have held for more than one year and which have increased in value, and save some money in the process.

You are able to claim a deduction as a charitable contribution on Schedule A for the full market price of the stock or mutual fund on the date you make the contribution. You do not have to report the increase in value as a capital gain on Schedule D.

Nothing gets people more riled up than a discussion of taxes, but what alternatives are there to the current system? The negative income tax is one such possibility.

Tax Alternatives: The Negative Income Tax

The current tax system in the United States is an unmitigated disaster. Nobody really denies this fact, one of the few issues that seem to unite republicans and democrats in our country. The tax code is so big, nobody has a grasp of it and that includes the IRS. While you and I may groan once a year when it is time to file our personal tax returns, larger corporations don’t have it much better. One well known corporation reported that they file the equivalent of one tax document with the IRS every 3 minutes! While the may or may not pay their share, the pure burden of filing taxes for them and us is crazy.

Did you know the federal income tax celebrated its 92nd birthday on October 3rd?

In February of 1913 the 16th Amendment was ratified by the required two-thirds of the states. The amendment gave Congress the power to “lay and collect tax on incomes, from whatever sources derived, without apportionment among the several states, and without regard to any census or enumeration.” On October 3, 1913, Congress passed the Revenue Act of 1913, which created the first permanent federal income tax.