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The Real History of U.S. Taxes They Didn’t Teach You (with Historian Bill Federer)

In this powerful episode of the Know Your Numbers, REI Podcast, Chris McCormack sits down with historian Bill Federer to unpack the dramatic shift in U.S. government funding — from tariff-based revenue to the modern income tax system.

You’ll discover:

How the British East India Company and the Stamp Act helped spark the American Revolution

Why tariffs once funded nearly 90% of the federal government

How the American Civil War triggered the first income tax

What the 16th Amendment to the United States Constitution changed forever

Why World War II expanded taxes to nearly every American

How…

The skinny

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