History of the Income Tax essays

History of the Income Tax essays The federal progressive income tax has been an issue that has been argued on the floors of Congress, in front of the United States Supreme Court, in front of television cameras, and around the dinner table. The tax served its purpose in supplementing revenue during the Civil War and World War I, but continued taking from Americans income in peacetime, allowing fewer dollars to be spent on goods and services. When the American government was in a deficit, it was harder to argue for the abolishment of the income tax, but now that Congress is looking at a government surplus for the first time in decades, the question is raised again: Do we have to have a progressive federal income tax? Prior to the Civil War, the vast majority of government funds came from tariffs on imports. The only exception was during the War of 1812, when blockades by the British, as well as the war being with the young countrys number one trade partner, lowered income from tariffs. Government revenues were accompanied by funds from the sale of public lands, such as the Louisiana Territory and the Oregon Country, as well as excise taxes, which were introduced during the War of 1812 (Hansen 62). As Abraham Lincoln, who once said that he had no money sense and never enough money to fret him, came into office with a national debt of nearly $75 million and little to no inflow of customs duties, as well as an outflow of investments to foreign countries by investors who feared war. After attempts to raise money by selling bonds, doubling tariffs, increasing excise taxes, and creating license fees, it was realized that another form of tax was needed (Paul 7-8, Witte 67). The details of the tax, however, were not agreed on easily. The tax was originally proposed to tax land in each state, with revenue to be handed out according to population. The idea of this tax created a congressional rebellion, led by the South and West,...

3 Cases of Superfluous Wording

3 Cases of Superfluous Wording 3 Cases of Superfluous Wording 3 Cases of Superfluous Wording By Mark Nichol Certain types of words that may be of no use nevertheless often stealthily make their way into sentences like gate crashers. In conversation, to mix metaphors, they serve as pothole fillers, meaningless placeholders that allow speakers to gather their thoughts and navigate an extemporaneous statement without stumbling before the finish line, but in writing they are expendable. The discussion after each sentence below describes why one or more words in the example do not contribute to the construction of the statement; revisions demonstrate how the sentences stand just as well without the omitted words. 1. More than half of all companies are currently pursuing some form of major information-technology transformation. Currently, which echoes the present-tense verbs it invariably is associated with, is rarely necessary or helpful; retain it only if it clarifies an ambiguous statement (in which case an alternative solution is to revise the statement to eliminate the ambiguity): â€Å"More than half of all companies are pursuing some form of major information-technology transformation.† 2. Management must then determine whether or not the activities for recording, accumulating, and summarizing material information are designed and operating effectively. Some writers don’t realize that the second and third word in â€Å"whether or not† should almost always be omitted. Others know this but automatically write it without noticing or don’t know when it is valid and when it is not. However, a simple test exists- if â€Å"whether or not† can be replaced by â€Å"regardless of whether,† the usage is valid, but if the phrase can be replaced by if, â€Å"or not† is extraneous: â€Å"Management must then determine whether the activities for recording, accumulating, and summarizing material information are designed and operating effectively.† 3. We have managed projects for both healthcare providers as well as medical-device manufacturers. Sometimes the solution is revision rather than omission. For example, in this sentence, â€Å"as well as† is redundant to both, so retain one or the other, but not both: â€Å"We have managed projects for both healthcare providers and medical-device manufacturers† or  Ã¢â‚¬Å"We have managed projects for healthcare providers as well as medical-device manufacturers.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Beautiful and Ugly Words10 Types of Transitions48 Writing Prompts for Middle School Kids