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The Past And Present Of Income Tax
By Richard A. Chapo
They say death and taxes are the only two certain things in life. Alas, this wasn’t always the case. Well, at least for the income tax.
The Past and Present of Income Tax
Our great nation came into existence in fits and starts. Following the revolt against the British, a federal government was elected and the fun began. This “fun” inevitably led to the situation where not everyone could agree on what the United States should stand for, much less what laws should be enacted. As a result, there was no federal income tax for nearly 100 years. Ah, the good ole days!
If there was no income tax during this period, you are probably wondering how the government functioned. It did so by collecting use and sales taxes. Taxes were charged on liquor, tobacco and imports to mention just a few. Many people in our modern society would like to return to just such a system.
Contrary to popular notions, the first income tax was not put into law in the early 1900’s. In fact, the first President to institute an income tax was Abraham Lincoln. In 1861,
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<P><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif><STRONG>Wi-Fi around Chicago..</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif><FONT size=2>The Daley Center between Clark and Dearborn is now (as of September 2003) a wi-fi hot zone. I have not personally connected there, but the word is </FONT><FONT size=2>that the signal around Daley Plaza and Block 37 is strong. Click <A href="http://www.xchicago.com/main/article.php?articleID=413">here</A> for more information. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2>If you are outside of downtown Chicago,the UPS stores (formerly Mailbox Etc.) will have wi-fi access (for a fee) in mid-September as will many McDonalds (for a fee). <A href="http://www.computerworld.com/mobiletopics/mobile/story/0,10801,80914,00.html">UPS story</A></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2></FONT> </P><P><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif><STRONG>Truth about Annuities</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif size=2>Many clients buy annuities. I think it is fair to say that most clients do not understand the annuities and, in many cases, the annuity purchase was an inappropriate choice. In my opininion annuities are appropriate when:</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif size=2>1. The client wants to save more for retirement and already puts the maximum in his or her IRA/401k; </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif size=2>2. The client is in a high tax bracket and wants to reduce taxes;</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana size=2>3. The client won't need the principal for quite a long time and the annuity makes up a small portion of the client's total investments.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana size=2>I have one client who paid no income tax, was 85 years old, had been retired for 20 years and purchased 4 annuities with all of her liquid assets; her only other assets, after the mass annuity purchases, were her condo and a checking account. The annuities were "unsuitable" for her, but were perfect for the annuity salesperson who netted at least $20,000 in commissions.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=2> See the </FONT><A href="http://www.annuitytruth.org/"><FONT size=2>annuity truth</FONT></A><FONT size=2> web site for some interesting reading on annuities and whether one is right for you </FONT></FONT></P><P><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif size=2><STRONG>What to Do if Your Mortgage Lender Bails Out on You</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif size=2>Recently, as interest reates rose and the number of files on their desks exploded to record levels, mortgage companies have bailed out on clients and failed to close. In two cases I am involved in (both of which are new construction) the mortgage companies literally "forgot" about the client. The loans were not ready to close because no one paid attention to the file for months. The other problem is that many lenders are so busy that they can't close by the end of the "lock-in" period. The client is left with a lame promise that the mortgage company will do a "free refinance" later to cure the problem.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif size=2>How can you prevent this? Pick a reputable lender in the first instance; not one from the internet or your brother-in-law who thought he would try out mortgage brokerage. Stay in touch with the lender. If all else fails, file a complaint with the office of banks and real estate. Here is the form to file the complaint:</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif size=2> </FONT><A href="http://www.bre.state.il.us/CONSUMER/FORMS/c-Form41.pdf"><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif size=2><a href="http://www.bre.state.il.us/CONSUMER/FORMS/c-Form41.pdf">http://www.bre.state.il.us/CONSUMER/FORMS/c-Form41.pdf</a></FONT></A><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif size=2> </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif size=2>It rarely pays to file a lawsuit against the lender. Attorneys fees are cost prohibitive and your damages are hard to prove.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif size=2> </FONT></P>
President Lincoln and Congress passed an income tax law to assist with funding the Civil War with the south. When the war came to an end, the tax was phased out. Imagine a tax being phased out now? That should bring a tear of laughter to your eye. The income tax as we know it was first instituted in 1913. Congress passed a law establishing a graduated tax rate of one to seven percent on all income taxes. I can say honestly and truthfully that I would kill to pay one percent in taxes these days. Heck, I am willing to take on the burden of paying seven percent! In establishing the income tax system, the Constitution was amended to add a 16th Amendment. This Amendment gave the federal government the right to collect taxes. The politicians primarily responsible for this were President Roosevelt and President Taft. I mention two Presidents because the bitter debate over the subject took some time to work out. If you’re looking to blame a particular political party, Presidents Roosevelt and Taft were both Republicans. Of course, the Democrats haven’t exactly made much of an effort to repeal the tax, so both parties deserve a whack upside the head in my opinion. Nonetheless, this is how we came to be burdened by the income tax in the United States. Article Source: http://www.ArticleJoe.com Richard A. Chapo is with BusinessTaxRecovery.com - providing information on taxes.
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The process of arranging your financial affairs so that your wealth will be distributed according to your wishes after your death and avoid undue taxation.
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