Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution

E70254

The Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1913, authorized the federal government to levy an income tax without apportioning it among the states or basing it on the U.S. Census.


Statements (46)
Predicate Object
instanceOf amendment to the United States Constitution
constitutional amendment
affects Internal Revenue Code
alsoKnownAs Income Tax Amendment
amendmentNumber 16
appliesTo income from whatever source derived
taxes on incomes
areaOfLaw constitutional law
tax law
constitutionalCategory taxation and revenue
controversy subject of tax protester arguments
country United States of America
doesNotRequire apportionment of income taxes among the several states
basing income taxes on the United States Census
enables modern federal income tax system in the United States
withholding of income tax by the federal government
followedBy Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
governmentBranchEmpowered United States Congress NERFINISHED
interpretedBy Supreme Court of the United States
jurisdiction federal government of the United States
language English
legalEffect allows federal income tax without apportionment among the states
allows federal income tax without regard to any census or enumeration
authorizes Congress to levy an income tax
motivatedBy need to clarify congressional power to tax incomes after Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co.
overcame apportionment requirement for direct taxes in Article I of the U.S. Constitution
partOf United States Constitution
precededBy Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
primaryPurpose to confirm and expand congressional power to tax incomes
proposalApprovedByCongressOn 1909-07-12
proposedBy United States Congress
ratificationThreshold three-fourths of the states
ratifiedBy state legislatures
ratifiedOn 1913-02-03
ratifiedYear 1913
region United States
relatedCourtCase Brushaber v. Union Pacific Railroad Co.
Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co.
relatedTo Article I, Section 2 of the United States Constitution
Article I, Section 9 of the United States Constitution
shortName Sixteenth Amendment
status in force
subject federal income tax
taxation
text The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.
typeOfTaxAuthorized direct tax on incomes


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