FairTax is a single rate tax proposal which has been proposed as a bill in the United States Congress regularly since 2005 that includes complete dismantling of the Internal Revenue Service. The proposal would eliminate all federal income taxes, payroll taxes, gift taxes, and estate taxes, replacing them with a single consumption tax on retail sales.
"No, No! Not That Way"—political cartoon from 1933 commenting on a general sales tax over an income tax
A FairTax rally in Orlando, Florida on July 28, 2006
Income tax in the United States
The United States federal government and most state governments impose an income tax. They are determined by applying a tax rate, which may increase as income increases, to taxable income, which is the total income less allowable deductions. Income is broadly defined. Individuals and corporations are directly taxable, and estates and trusts may be taxable on undistributed income. Partnerships are not taxed, but their partners are taxed on their shares of partnership income. Residents and citizens are taxed on worldwide income, while nonresidents are taxed only on income within the jurisdiction. Several types of credits reduce tax, and some types of credits may exceed tax before credits. Most business expenses are deductible. Individuals may deduct certain personal expenses, including home mortgage interest, state taxes, contributions to charity, and some other items. Some deductions are subject to limits, and an Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) applies at the federal and some state levels.
Total U.S. tax revenue as a % of GDP and income tax revenue as a % of GDP, 1945–2011, from Office of Management and Budget historicals
The U.S. federal effective corporate tax rate has become much lower than the nominal rate because of various special tax provisions.
People filing tax forms in 1920.
President Abraham Lincoln and the United States Congress introduced in 1861 the first personal income tax in the United States.