Taxes
Contrary to general opinion, the United States’ modern tax system is less than a hundred years old. Our nation first enacted an income tax as a permanent fixture in our government in 1913. This is the year we all took a swift kick in the butt. Income tax has been around just long enough in this country that we’ve begun to assume it was always an American institution. The importance of this fact is to remember that taxes weren’t always required of an American. Thus, as someone much smarter than myself once said:
“Anyone may arrange his affairs so that his taxes shall be as low as possible; he is not bound to choose that pattern which best pays the treasury. There is not even a patriotic duty to increase one’s taxes.
Over and over again the Courts have said that there is nothing sinister in so arranging affairs as to keep taxes as low as possible. Everyone does it, rich and poor alike and all do right, for nobody owes any public duty to pay more than the law demands.”
– Judge Learned Hand
Gregory v. Helvering 69 F.2d 809, 810 (2d Cir. 1934), aff’d, 293 U.S. 465, 55 S.Ct. 266, 79 L.Ed. 596 (1935