Only 3% of the nation had any income above $3K, and they only paid a 1% (!) tax on the income above that threshold. That's how it was sold to the public. Compa

Only 3% of the nation had any income above $3K, and they only paid a 1% (!) tax on the income above that threshold. That's how it was sold to the public. Compare that to the general income tax today, and who it applies to: the floor now includes ~60% of people with any income at all, and the lowest possible income tax rate is 10%, e.g. 10x higher. And literally everyone pays income tax in the form of Social Security and Medicare. (For whatever reason, if an income tax is pre-allocated to particular government spending, it's no longer an "income tax" in some people's eyes. The tax effect is identical and you need the 16th Amendment to allow it, so IMO it should be lumped in with the other income taxes we pay.)