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Question 71 of 128 · American Government · Rights and Responsibilities

Why is it important to pay federal taxes?

Accepted answers

  • Required by law
  • All people pay to fund the federal government
  • Required by the (U.S.) Constitution (16th Amendment)
  • Civic duty

Any one of these is accepted, unless the question asks for more than one.

Why this is the answer

Paying federal taxes is required by law, and the law rests on the Constitution: the 16th Amendment gives Congress the power to tax income. Everyone living in the United States, citizen or not, files a federal income tax return each year, by April 15. The money funds the federal government, from the military to the roads, so paying is also a civic duty, part of the deal of living in a country everyone pays for. Name any one of the official reasons. Memory hook: 16th Amendment, April 15.