Money & budgets
income tax
A tax on what you earn, applied in brackets at progressive rates. Enabled at the federal level by the Sixteenth Amendment in 1913.
In full
Federal income tax applies graduated rates to taxable income after deductions and credits. Only income above each bracket threshold is taxed at that bracket's rate, so moving into a higher bracket never reduces take-home pay overall. Most states levy their own income tax, and a handful do not.
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.