Today in History

February 3, 1913

The Sixteenth Amendment Ratified (Income Tax)

On February 3, 1913, the Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified by the United States Congress, allowing the Federal government to collect a tax based on income. While the Constitution give the Congress the power of taxation, a Supreme Court case had held that direct taxes on income were unconstitutional. In 1909 President Taft initially proposed a constitutional amendment and, though passed by the Congress in 1909, the amendment required three full years for ratification.

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