Congress: Taxes & Taxing Power (Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution)

Topics covered:

• Under the Articles of Confederation, the Congress could not levy taxes directly, which was perceived as a great weakness to the federal government. Instead, it had a system of requisitions from the States, and this led to a most precarious financial and fiscal position for the United States, while also endangering the country with foreign invasion and internal civil strife.
• Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution provides that the Congress has the enumerated power to lay taxes, duties, and imposts. These taxes include external taxes on foreign trade and goods, and internal taxes on products, services, and property. These taxes are direct taxes on the People, goods, and businesses which are collected without the assistance of the States.
• The Anti-Federalists strongly opposed the Constitution because, among things, they believed that the Taxing Power would swallow up the States and destroy liberty.
• Highlights include Alexander Hamilton, Timothy Pickering, James Madison, Richard Henry Lee, Brutus (Judge John Yates), Luther Martin, Amos Singletary, Hugh Williamson, Elbridge Gerry, Oliver Ellsworth, James Iredell, James Wilson, and Benjamin Franklin.

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