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"In 1867, William M. Springer refused to pay the federal taxes he owed, resulting in one of the first tax cases heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. Before the matter went to the Supreme Court in 1874, how did the government collect the tax due?" In January 1867, after Springer refused to pay the $5,279.78 owed (including tax and penalty), the tax collector levied property in Springfield, Illinois, that Springer owned. The property was advertised and sold at public auction on March 15, 1867. The matter eventually landed in the U.S. Supreme Court (Springer v. U.S.), with Springer claiming that the tax was a direct tax and therefore unconstitutional, and that the seizure and sale of his property deprived him of his property without due process of law. The Supreme Court rejected both arguments and affirmed the federal government's power to levy and collect income taxes, including through the seizure and sale of property. "

" The first nattional income tax in the United States was enacted in 1862 to help finance the war. It started as a 3% tax on incomes over $600 and 5% on incomes over $10,000. These rates were later increased, and the ceiling for the lower tax rate was lowered in 1864. " The Grant Administration repealed these taxes in 1872

I thought that Income Tax only started in 1913 with the ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment.

Thank you, Abby, for the great reminder. The IRS must RECEIVE the amendment by 10/13/2025. I've been forgetting that lately with e-filing. If you have to paper file, between the USPS and the IRS brokenness, who knows when the IRS will receive any given piece of mail !!!