Articles and Amendments of the Constitution about Taxes

I recently picked up a book about our Constitution and wanted to read more about how some of the tax laws were written in our Constitution.  I would like to share this in this article.

We all know about the Income Tax – how it was “ratified” on February 3, 1913, then “updated” in 1942 to become our present “Withholding Income Tax” – just another way for our Government to “control” our money. Here is what is written in our 16th Amendment * ” The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on income, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.”

We all see how Timothy Geitner, who was President of Federal Reserve Bank of New York and now our Secretary of Treasury, was able to sit in that position because of the 24th Amendment** which states, “Section1 The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator, or for Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States, or any other States by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax. Section 2 The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”

I read on to understand more about our taxation system as our forefathers wanted it as in Article 1:

Section 8 :

The Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imports, and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States, but all duties , imports, and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States:

To borrow money on the credit of the United States:

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with Indian Tribes:

To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States:

To coin money regulate the value thereof and of foreign coin and fix standards of weights and measures:

To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coins of the United States:

To raise and support armies but no longer appropriation of money to that use shall for a longer term than two years.

Article 1 Section 9

The migration or importation of such persons as any of the states now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the year 1808 but a tax or duty may be imposed on such importation not exceeding 10 dollars for each person.

No capitation or other direct tax shall be laid unless in proportion to the census or enumerationherein directed to be taken

No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any state

No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or revenue to the port of one state over those of another, be obligated to enter clear or pay duties in another

No money shall be drawn from the treasury but in Consequence of Appropriations made by law and a regular statement and account of receipts and expenditures of all public money shall be punished from time to time

Section 10

No states shall enter into any treaty Alliance or Confederation grant leeters of marque and reprisal coins money emit bills of credit make any thing but gold and silver coins of tender in payments of debts pass any bills of attainder ex post facto law or law impairing the obligation of contracts or grant any title of nobility.

No state shall without the consent of the Congress lay any imports or duties on imports or exports except what may be absolutely necessary for executing  it’s inspection laws and the net produce of all duties and imports laid by any state on imports or exports shall be for the use of the Treasury of the United States and all such laws shall be subject to revision and controul of the Congress.

I wanted to note I did leave some of the section out of the articles as they did not applied to the taxation or the treasury.

In the Declaration of Independence in one sentence it reads ” For imposing Taxes on us without OUR consent:”

* The 16th Amendment was ratified February 3, 1913.

** The 24th Amendment was ratified January 23, 1964.

This is a very interesting document and we should be allowed to live by it. We need to be FairTax!

Charlie Prochaska
Volunteer Ga 2 District Director