Income Tax & the Funeral Car

[PaigeBooth]

On August 5, 1861, as the war raged between North and South, Lincoln signed the Revenue Act into law. Intended to help finance the war, the act imposed a 3% tax on individuals with annual incomes over $800.

Lincoln's tax was repealed in 1871, but taxes weren't dead yet. Congress passed the 16th Amendment in 1909,(the enactment date was 1913), setting in place the basis for the federal tax system that exists today.

The enactment date, allowing the Federal Government to collect income tax, was February 3, 1913, with deadlines on March 1st. The Revenue Act of 1918 moved the date forward to March 15th. And in 1955 some tax-code revisions pushed the date a month further, to April 15th.

Hope some of this is has been helpful.