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Does anyone know when the feds and states started demanding income taxes from active service members?

My guess is about the same time as giving Social Security numbers to new born babies.

When I was in the army, we were paid cash once a month. Had to stand in line and sign the receipt roster. All signatures had to stay within the box assigned.

I worked at several jobs (about 6 or 7) and only when I went to work (summer temporary) for the USFS (in 1952) did I get a SS number.

charlese wrote:Does anyone know when the feds and states started demanding income taxes from active service members?

My guess is about the same time as giving Social Security numbers to new born babies.

When I was in the army, we were paid cash once a month. Had to stand in line and sign the receipt roster. All signatures had to stay within the box assigned.

I worked at several jobs (about 6 or 7) and only when I went to work (summer temporary) for the USFS (in 1952) did I get a SS number.

In the not-so-good ole days, we would have blamed this on the Commies. But I think that computers are more to blame. They used to be really, really dumb, and social security numbers were something that they could actually understand. That, and two-digit year codes. (Can you say Y2K bug? ). More subtle concepts, not so much.

Now don't confuse this rant with criticism of the Internet. It is a great democratizing influence, for better or or worse. No, I speak of "Old Iron", as in IBM mainframes. As in the movie "2001, a Space Odessey". As in HAL, the evil rogue spaceship computer. As in (if there is anyone on the planet who does not already know this), you take the letters I, B, & M, and regress one letter down the alphabet in each instance, to arrive at "HAL".

Yea, let's blame it on the computers.

And on the politicians that weren't smart enough to understand the likely fallout from the "law of unintended consequences", that would result from the "efficiencies" provided by the new electronic tools of the bureaucrats. These "efficiencies" eventually displaced most all opportunities for human judgement to prevail.

More recently, the banking industry repeated that same mistake. And still has not learned the lesson.

BuckeyeDennis wrote: . . .

More recently, the banking industry repeated that same mistake. And still has not learned the lesson.

What mistake?

'We' made the mistake of not holding their feet(or another anatomical feature) to the fire. So they continue to walk all over us mere peons.

Ditto GM.

Anybody want a hummer for god's sake?


The first military model made sense.

I know from two uncles who served in the 1950's that they paid taxes on their income. Until 1956, Social Security was not collected on military pay, but it was implemented then so that it would count toward your total years of payment. Medicare was fairly new at the time I entered in 1968, so they collected income tax, social security and medicare from military pay. However, when we were in a combat zone or out of the continental US, we did not pay income taxes on our income. Still paid social security and medicare. And, in combat zone, we earned a differential called "combat pay". Also, was paid in cash in my days. You could take out all your pay or just what you wanted. Two men stood on each side of the truck with pistols and automatic rifles. The two men counting the money also had weapons.
As a federal employee who paid the 7% into our retirement program established in 1920 without government intervention or contributions, if we wanted to claim our military time toward our retirement, you had to pay X dollars for your earned income in the military. By paying back those funds into the retirement fund, you would be covered for the military years. That fund was basically dissolved in 1982. However those who remained on it until now, may not get all their income. Congress may have to finally put some funds into that bucket. Sorry for the additional info.