Jim Webb says U.S. didn’t have income taxes until 1913

Our ruling

Webb said “we did not even have a federal income tax in this country until 1913.”The modern income tax structure, complete with Form 1040, was born in 1913. But in the interest of history, it should be noted that Lincoln ushered in an income tax in 1862 and it lasted 10 years.So we rate the statement of Webb — a historian himself — Mostly True.

Ron Paul says federal income tax rate was 0 percent until 1913

Our ruling

Paul’s statement that the federal income tax rate was zero until 1913 reflects the timing of the constitutional change enabling the current tax. But his claim disregards two pre-1913 efforts to impose an income tax — one of which was in place for a decade. This debate claim rates Half True.


Category: Espresso

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