It can, but takes a great deal of effort. The bar for a constitutional amendment is much higher than, say, winning an election; this is a good thing, as it pre

It can, but takes a great deal of effort. The bar for a constitutional amendment is much higher than, say, winning an election; this is a good thing, as it prevents the constitution from being re-written every four years. A politician may win a presidential or congressional election, but will not likely convince the other half of the nation to support any such policy. Income tax took a constitutional amendment, so yes, directly seizing money from citizens would take one as well.