Revenue Act of 1861

The Revenue Act of 1861 proposed that "there shall be levied, collected, and paid, upon annual income of every person residing in the U.S. whether derived from any kind of property, or from any professional trade, employment, or vocation carried on in the United States or elsewhere, or from any source whatever." This was the first federal income tax.

The 1861 Tax Act was passed but never put in force. Rates under the Act were 3% on income above $800 (adjusted for inflation: $16,609 in 2003 dollars [1]) and 5% on income of individuals living outside the U.S.


Tax Acts of the United States

1861 | 1862 | 1894 | 1913 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1921 | 1924 | 1926 | 1928 | 1932 | 1940 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1948 | 1950 | 1950 | 1951 | 1954 | 1954 | 1962 | 1964 | 1968 | 1969 | 1971 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1981 | 1982 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1986 | 1986 | 1990 | 1993 | 1997 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |

See also: Revenue Act of 1861, 2003, Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986, Current Tax Payment Act of 1943, Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, Excess Profits Tax of 1950, Excise Tax Reduction Act of 1954, Highway Revenue Act of 1982, Income tax