Federal Income Tax Flashcards, test questions and answers
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What is Federal Income Tax?
The Federal Income Tax has been a part of the American landscape since the passage of The Revenue Act of 1862 during the Civil War. This law imposed a three percent tax on all incomes over $800, and was used to fund the Union’s war effort. Since then, the federal income tax has become an integral part of our lives and is used to fund many government programs and services that benefit all Americans. The current system for calculating federal income taxes is based on progressive taxation. This means that as your income increases, so does your taxable rate. The more you make, the higher percentage of your income you are required to pay in taxes. There are also deductions and credits that can be taken which can reduce your total amount owed at the end of each year. The purpose of federal income taxes is to provide revenue for government operations such as Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, defense spending, education spending and other public services like roads and infrastructure projects. Without this revenue from taxes, it would be impossible for our government to function properly or provide essential services to its citizens. It is also important for fairness those with higher incomes should pay higher rates than those with lower incomes in order to keep everyone paying their fair share into society’s coffers. Although paying federal income taxes is sometimes inconvenient or difficult for some taxpayers, it is ultimately an important source of revenue needed by our government in order to keep running smoothly and providing quality services to its citizens. Without it there would be no way for us as individuals or as a nation to invest in our own economic prosperity or future success.