Why was there a time when we had no income taxes?

[oberon_1]

Originally Posted by TheHurricaneKid

Why was there a time when the government didn't need to spend so much to keep the nation going? Why did the government need so much expansion, when the nation ran pretty well on alcohol and other taxes?

Why was there a time when there were just 13 colonies and each governed themselves as they wanted?

[Mircea]

Originally Posted by TheHurricaneKid

Why was there a time when we had no income taxes? Why was there a time when the government didn't need to spend so much to keep the nation going? Why did the government need so much expansion, when the nation ran pretty well on alcohol and other taxes?

Because you were not an Empire yet.

You became an Empire in 1898. You had your overseas colonies, and then you started colonizing China along with Germany and Great Britain.

Empire is expensive, and the piddly amount of money the government got from import/export tariffs, duties, fees and taxes, plus other user fees, wasn't enough to pay for the military necessary to maintain an Empire.

Taxing...

Mircea

[14Bricks]

Originally Posted by EinsteinsGhost

Which was... when?

Apprently before 1913 the goverment knew how to manage its money, after 1913 the government started spending like drunken sailors.

United States Government Revenue History - Charts

[Robin Rossi]

Originally Posted by TheHurricaneKid

Why was there a time when the government didn't need to spend so much to keep the nation going? Why did the government need so much expansion, when the nation ran pretty well on alcohol and other taxes?

That was a time before the ruling elite came to power and realized they could set up their own version of a monarchy.

Once they realized that they could recreate a "monarchy", they undid the founder's wisdom, who originally prohibited an income tax, (which they prohibited for the specific reason of not giving the Federal government unlimited revenue, and hence, the opportunity for unlimited growth) and passed the amendment allowing them to create the income tax, the Genie hence came out of the bottle, never to return. Now, we have a Federal government, originally the creation of the states intended to do their bidding for issues bigger than the individual states could handle on their own (national defense, for example), that runs roughshod over the states and the people.


One slight correction to your OP. The government doesn't "keep the nation going". capitalisim and personal industriousness does that.