Are Income Taxes Legal?

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The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several states, and without regard to any census of enumeration.

- The Sixteenth Amendment

In 1913, the congress passed the 16th amendment to the constitution. This made it legal for the United States to collect income taxes. Well, not quite. It had to be ratified. It was, finally, by 1916. However, that is where the argument comes from. There are many. I will not go into detail. They deal with words that are not there or are there. Some contend the states ratified something else. What it boils down to is really a bunch of nonsense that has been repeatedly tossed out in court. Yes, even the supreme court.

Logically speaking, do you know people who love to pay income taxes? Since 1916, there have been numerous presidents, congresses, legislatures, supreme court justices, voters, and of course good and bad lawyers. Do you think that if income taxes were actually illegal, then one of these brilliant minds would have proved it!

Sorry, time and time again, the courts, and supreme court have upheld federal income taxes.

There has never, ever been ANY federal court ruling or supreme court ruling that states anything but it is legal to collect federal income taxes. Never.

On a lighter note, how about learn some fun facts about the United States? CLICK HERE to read some!

Recent income tax cases:

Richard Hatch, CBS Survivor winner, February 2008, lost appeal and owes a million dollars income tax.

Wesley Snipes, actor, convicted of federal income tax evasion, April 2008.

Ronald Isley, singer, convicted of federal income tax evasion, October 2008.

Stephen G. Yagman, lawyer, made a name for himself by suing police officers. Convicted of income tax evasion, November 2007.

Edward and Elaine Brown, avoided authorities in a well-publicized 5 month standoff in New Hampshire, 2007. Now both serving long prison terms for income tax evasion.

The list is endless. These are just a few. Bottom line, these people couldn't do it, you can't do it. Pay your taxes. Taxes are legal. Every court case has upheld the legality of federal income tax.

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If you itemize deductions, here is a simple trick. However, always check with an income tax professional or the IRS. There are no guarantees.

Give away your old unwanted stuff to charity! If you are not one of those who holds yard sales, the you can give away stuff that is just taking up space.

Here are some tips:

Be good! Do not give trash. Broken items and worthless junk is not a good idea. You need to give stuff away that has a resell value.

Look in your closets, garage, and cabinets. If you have not used it in a year, get rid of it.

You need to prove what you gave. Make an itemized list of exactly what you gave. Taking a picture is even better! You can deduct a reasonable amount for each item.

Get some tax software. Most will give you an estimate for what each item is worth.

Autos that are junk are a terrific item to give! Many charities come and pick it up and do all the paper work! We once gave away a car that we probably would have sold as scrap for $200. The charity sold it at auction for $800! That was a good giveaway that had us take a quick, easy $800 deduction!

Beware! You can only take between 30 and 50% of your income as charitable deductions. Also, they must indeed be REAL non-profit charities!

For a few dollars you pay for a tax pro or income tax software, you will get many times back. Plus, you are helping a good cause!

Lower your income taxes today!

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