Abolish the Income Tax

Most people don't know that the Income Tax is relatively new in the history of the United States.  Although initiated with the 16th amendment in 1913, it was not widely used at that time and did not become the major contributor to the federal budget until the 1950s.  An interesting historical observation is that the high income taxes of the 1950s were supposed to be temporary.  They were designed to balance the budget from the debts incurred due to World War II and the Marshall Plan.  However, Congress soon found a way to spend this new revenue and then some more.  President Johnson stated that the United States could afford "Guns and Butter" and the income tax was here to stay. 

As this drawing from Harper's Weekly by Thomas Nast shows, many in the United States considered the income tax a form of slavery.  That is probably the best reason to get rid of the tax.  The income of most people is derived from labor, either physical or intellectual.  There is no moral reason to claim that anyone has a right to another person's labor.

Another reason why the income tax is not part of a free society is that Congress uses it not only to raise revenue but to control behavior.  This has a long history in the United States, going back to Hamilton's WhiskeyTax.  The tax code is at least 2500 pages long. That is because there are all sort of behaviors which people in Congress wish to reward, like buying solar panels and others that they wish to punish, like selling real estate.

The main reason why income taxes should be abolished is that it is a very efficient but easy to hide way to reward political supporters and punish political enemies.  A simple change in the tax code can change a tax burden drastically.  A tax change can also bankrupt an industry or send billions in the direction of certain industry.

A properly sized government can be funded without a personal income tax.  Income tax, by taking a portion of a person's labor, can be seen as a form of slavery.  The income tax is used more to control behavior than to raise revenue.  It is also an efficient and obscure way for political forces to pick winners and losers in the marketplace.  Due to these factors and more, the income tax should be immediately abolished.