Income
The income tax, as currently implemented, violates several provisions of the Constitution:
• The 16th Amendment, which supposedly authorized the income tax, was improperly ratified. Several states that “ratified” it never properly approved the Amendment according to their own state constitutions.
• The income tax undermines the constitutional protection of private property in the 5th Amendment. The income tax allows the government to take people’s income and private property without due process and just compensation.
• The income tax violates Article 1, Section 9 prohibiting un-apportioned direct taxes. The income tax isn’t levied in proportion to state population, as constitutionally required. It taxes individuals directly without regard to state boundaries.
• The income tax violates the 4th Amendment’s protections against unreasonable search and seizure. The expansive powers of the IRS to investigate individuals and compel disclosure of private financial information intrude on protections of privacy and property.
• The income tax system violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. The multitude of deductions, exemptions, credits and loopholes in the tax code have Americans with similar incomes paying vastly different tax rates. This unequal treatment under the law violates principles of equal justice.
• The income tax grants excessive power to the IRS, threatening liberty and due process. The IRS has sweeping authority to audit taxpayers, seize assets, and prosecute alleged offences with limited oversight. This concentration of power violates checks and balances in the Constitution. In short, the income tax should be repealed and replaced with a fair tax system based on consumption, not unconstitutional and liberty-infringing taxes on people’s work and earnings. But don’t take my word for it – read up on the compelling arguments made by experts on the unconstitutionality of this woeful tax!
Payroll
Here are the main reasons why the payroll tax is unconstitutional:
1. It violates the Taxing Clause. The Constitution only authorizes Congress to levy taxes to provide for the common defense and general welfare of the country. Payroll taxes fund specific welfare programs like Social Security and Medicare, not the general welfare.
2. It violates the Apportionment Clause. Direct taxes like the payroll tax must be apportioned among the states according to population. But payroll taxes are levied uniformly across the country regardless of population.
3. It violates the Due Process Clause. The government confiscates payroll taxes before workers even receive their paychecks. This deprives them of their property without due process of law.
4. It exceeds the original scope of the federal government. The founders intended the federal government to have limited and enumerated powers. Administering massive welfare programs like Social Security and Medicare far exceeds those original limited powers.
5. It leads to excessive government spending and debt. Payroll taxes open the door to constant government expansion of benefits and spending, fueling huge deficits and a crushing national debt. This threatens our economic freedom and security.
6. It reduces personal liberty and responsibility. Payroll taxes and the programs they fund make Americans dependent on government handouts rather than their own initiative and work ethic. This undermines the self-reliance and industriousness on which this country was built.
7. It disproportionately impacts lower-income Americans. While the wealthy can afford accountants and loopholes to avoid some payroll taxes, regular folks have no escape and end up paying a much larger share of their income. This is fundamentally unfair. Those are my thoughts on why the payroll tax should be abolished due to its unconstitutionality and the threat it poses to our freedom and prosperity.
Sales, Property, Estate, Capital Gains, Dividends, Interest, Imports, Excise.
Warren Harding: Harding signed tax cuts lowering the top individual income tax rate from 77% to 25%, as well as cutting corporate taxes and estate taxes. The tax cuts and Harding’s pro-business policies produced a prosperous decade in the 1920s.
Calvin Coolidge: Coolidge lowered top income tax rates from 77% to 25% during the 1920s. His tax cuts and limited government helped produce an era of rapid economic expansion and improved standards of living.
Andrew Mellon: As Treasury Secretary under Harding, Coolidge and Hoover, Mellon championed tax cuts, helping drive down income tax rates as well as estate taxes and corporate taxes. His tax cuts stimulated business investment and strong economic growth.
John F. Kennedy: Kennedy proposed sweeping tax cuts for both individuals and corporations, lowering the top income tax rate from 91% to 65%. Though passed after his death, the Kennedy tax cuts boosted economic growth.
Ronald Reagan: Reagan passed sweeping tax cuts, lowering the top marginal tax rate from 70% to 28% during his presidency. He helped usher in an era of economic growth and prosperity.
George W. Bush: Bush passed tax cuts in 2001 and 2003, lowering rates for all income tax brackets as well as capital gains and dividends taxes. Despite opposition, the Bush tax cuts spurred business investment.
Donald Trump: President Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which lowered both individual and corporate tax rates and simplified the tax code. Middle-income Americans received substantial tax relief.
Simply put, lower taxes means greater economic freedom. Generally speaking, conservative candidates aim to lower taxes while their liberal counterparts wish to raise taxes.
