Questões de Concurso Sobre sinônimos | synonyms em inglês

                        History of the Income Tax in the United States

      The nation had few taxes in its early history. From 1791 to 1802, the United States government was supported by internal taxes on distilled spirits, carriages, refined sugar, tobacco and snuff, property sold at auction, corporate bonds, and slaves. The high cost of the War of 1812 brought about the nation's first sales taxes on gold, silverware, jewelry, and watches. In 1817, however, Congress did away with all internal taxes, relying on tariffs on imported goods to provide sufficient funds for running the government.

      In 18 62, in order to support the Civil War effort, Congress enacted the nation's first income tax law. It was a forerunner of our modern income tax in that it was based on the principles of graduated, or progressive, taxation and of withholding income at the source. Additional sales and excise taxes were added, and an "inheritance" tax also made its debut.

      The Act of 18 62 established the office of Commissioner of Internal Revenue. The Commissioner [TO GIVE] the power to assess, levy, and collect taxes, and the right to enforce the tax laws through seizure of property and income and through prosecution. The powers and authority remain very much the same today.

      In 18 68 , Congress again focused its taxation efforts on tobacco and distilled spirits and eliminated the income tax in 1872. It had a short-lived revival in 18 94 and 18 95. In the latter year, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that the income tax was unconstitutional because it was not apportioned among the states in conformity with the Constitution.

      In 1913, the 16th Amendment to the Constitution made the income tax a permanent fixture in the U.S. tax system. The amendment gave Congress legal authority to tax income and resulted in a revenue law that taxed incomes of both individuals and corporations. The withholding tax on wages was introduced in 1943 and was instrumental in increasing the number of taxpayers to 60 million and tax collections to $43 billion by 1945.

      In 1981  , Congress enacted the largest tax cut in U.S. history, approximately $750 billion over six years. The tax reduction, however, was partially offset by two tax acts, in 1982 and 1984, that attempted to raise approximately $265 billion.

     Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and the Central Park Conservancy announced that the hedge fund billionaire John A. Paulson, along with the Paulson Family Foundation, were giving $100 million to the Central Park Conservancy. It is believed to be the largest gift ever to a public park.

     Mr. Paulson, a lifelong New Yorker, said that as an infant he was pushed around in a baby carriage in the park and that he later remembered going to Bethesda Fountain as a teenager and seeing it covered in graffiti, with no water flowing. The announcement of the gift carne during a
ceremony at the fountain.
    When asked at the news conference what prompted the gift, Mr. Paulson said: "Walking through the
park in different seasons, it kept coming back that in my mind Central Park is the most deserving of ali of New York's cultural institutions. And I wanted the amount to make a difference. The park is very  large, and its endowment is relatively small."
    The park's current endowment stands at $144 million. Half of Mr. Paulson's gift will go to the endowment, while the other half will be used for capital improvements. Mr. Paulson mentioned that he considered important: Restoring the park's North Woods, and sprucing up the Merchanfs Gate entrance at the park's Southwest comer, the most heavily used entrance.
     Mr. Paulson has been a supporter of the Central Park Conservancy for 20 years, but this is his first major gift to the park. He joined the conservancy's board in June.
     Two former parks commissioners, Henry Stern and  Adrian Benepe, were at the news conference on Tuesday. It  was also attended by Elizabeth Barlow Rogers and Richard Gilder, key figures in the conservancy's founding.
     The announcement was made under cloudy skies in a ceremony attended by hundreds of employees of the Central Park Conservancy in their gray sweatshirts, as well  as the conservancy's board. Doug Blonsky, the president and chief executive officer of the conservancy, which operates Central Park for the city, hailed the gift as "transformational," saying that it would break the cycle of  restoration and decline that has marked the park  throughout its 153-year history.

                                                                                                                      (h ttp ://www. nytimes. com)