Later that same year, President Wilson signed legislation that authorized the first income tax of the 20th century, which affected about 3% of taxpayers. Individuals would pay a tax of 1% on any income they earned over $3,000.In 1895, the Supreme Court struck down the federal income tax as unconstitutional, but in 1913, the 16th Amendment authorized Congress to collect revenue from taxpayers nationwide. It was the birth of the modern income tax.The original taxer-in-chief was none other than Abraham Lincoln ...