| Taxes are a way of paying our fair share | | | | states the following: "The Congress shall have |
| towards a country that gives us so much. People | | | | power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from |
| live in a nation and pay taxes not because they | | | | whatever source derived, without apportionment |
| fear prosecution but because they show love for | | | | among the several states, and without regard to |
| the country and think it is their duty to pay taxes | | | | any census of enumeration." |
| so that they can do their bit to improve the public | | | | In 1909 that Congress established the corporate |
| school system, public health system that | | | | income tax. 42 out of 48 in the United States |
| vaccinates kids against childhood disease, for a | | | | ratified the amendment in a proper manner. |
| fortified national security system, and of course | | | | The above two reasons are the first and the |
| for a balanced federal budget. | | | | foremost reasons why we pay income taxes and |
| Even undocumented immigrants are known to | | | | other taxes. |
| pay taxes in the US as they think it is their | | | | The second reason is the authority of the IRS; |
| responsibility to pay taxes as the country would | | | | the IRS code is really a collection of statutes and |
| allow them to become legal someday so that | | | | all 900 sections of the code are designed to work |
| they can travel back home to visit family and | | | | together and so this is the main reason why the |
| friends. | | | | IRS has the authority to collect an income tax |
| However there are legal reasons why we pay | | | | even though the Internal Revenue code doesn't |
| taxes: | | | | explicitly say so. |
| If we go back in time we will see that the | | | | The third reason is the legality issue. Citizens who |
| Congress approved taxes in 1909 but it was the | | | | refuse to pay taxes are consistently slammed |
| 16th Amendment which makes us pay income | | | | with fines and even prosecution. Legal authorities |
| tax even today. The 16th Amendment was | | | | claim that federal income is a perfect legal and |
| adopted in 1912 and this led to the formation of | | | | going against it may attract legal penalty or even |
| the federal income tax system. The 16th Amend | | | | jail. |