The tax in 1862 was collected about the same as it is today except people were only divided into two tax brackets. Citizens were ordered to pay 3% tax if they earned $600 to $10,000 and 5% if they earned more than $10,000. The reason that this income tax was started was to fund the Civil War.
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The first Federal Income tax was collected in 1862. It was to help pay the cost of the United States Civil War.
The first Progressive Income Tax was established by Congress, (who under the Constitution is the branch of government with the authority to tax), in the year 1862. The president at the time was Abraham Lincoln.
The revenue act, which funded the Civil war.(the Civil War)
"The first United States income tax was imposed in July 1861, at 3% of all incomes over 800 dollars in order to help pay for the war effort in the American Civil War.[4][5] This tax was repealed and replaced by another income tax in 1862. [6]" -Wikipedia
This was done to "encourage" the tax collectors to leave the area and forget the need to collect taxes.