Congressman Warren Davidson is taking action about Americans’ dissatisfaction with tax season in the U.S. by attempting to repeal the Sixteenth Amendment, but will it work?
Ratified in 1913, the 16th Amendment dramatically expanded the government’s ability to tax its citizens, a crowning achievement of the Progressive Era. Amazingly, the U.S. tax form, a mere four pages in 1913, has since grown to over 100 pages. By 1944, during World War 2, the highest tax bracket in America had swelled from seven percent in 1913 to a staggering 94 percent. This income tax, which quickly became Washington’s highest source of revenue, enabled the growth of the national government into a hulking federal behemoth.
(This early 20th-century political cartoon mocked Uncle Sam’s proclivity for taxing the American people.)
“Originally the country didn't have an income tax," Rep. Davidson pointed out on Wednesday. “They passed the 16th Amendment to make it legal to tax people's income. It was originally just going to be for the really, really rich people. And, of course, now it's hitting everybody.”
Davidson introduced his proposed constitutional amendment last year, and although Congress has not yet voted on the measure, he signaled that he hopes for a vote soon.
“Effective 2 years after the ratification of this article of amendment, the sixteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is repealed,” the prospective amendment states, “and the Congress shall have no power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, except in time of war declared by the Congress.”
Unfortunately, while Davidson’s actions are likely well-intentioned, we know that Congress will never agree to give up its power to tax our income. However, that does not mean we cannot force them to act.
The second clause of Article V, which enables the states to propose constitutional amendments, was designed for such a time as this. Together, We the People, through our state legislatures, can say “no” to new federal taxes and even repeal the 16th Amendment. Congress will never do it for us; we must make it happen.
To advocate for a real solution to our nation’s unwieldy tax code and endemic spending problem, sign the Convention of States petition below.
