“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” ~ Isaiah 9:6-7 ESV

How wonderful that we are still celebrating what God has done for us that only His Son could give us.  May 2025 be the year that we know Him and the Power of His Resurrection! 

Father, help us come into all that You have for each of us this year.

Merry Christmas!!

Article I, SECTION. 8, Clause 1 says in part, “The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises”

Duties, Imposts and Excises are considered “indirect” taxes because they are not taxes on labor or property but on purchases. The original intent of the Constitution was to avoid direct taxes on Americans which would be an income tax or taxes on our property. The framers considered direct taxes to be a form of slavery, which most of them were actively working to end.

The indirect taxes were to be raised by charging other countries duties, impost or excise taxes for the  privilege of bringing their goods into our nation. Maybe the poor could not afford the extra fee charged by these countries, but the rich could! In this way the rich would pay more taxes than the poor. The poor could buy local or make their own. The rich could afford to pay the tax, but were not forced to do so. It was voluntary. This was a fair way to pay for the price of the federal government. As long as Congress stuck with their enumerated powers of the Constitution in Article I, Section 8, this mode of raising revenue was considered sufficient, until the Fed got bloated, centralized and usurped more authority than the original intent of the Constitution had delegated.

Wilson Nicholas explained, “Money cannot be raised in a more judicious manner than by imposts; it is not felt by the people:… were they to be raised by direct taxes they would be exceedingly oppressive.”(1)

James Wilson agreed, “I apprehend the greatest part of the revenue will arise from external taxation…”(2)

Nathaniel Gorham clarified, “By impost and excise, the man of luxury will pay; and the middling and the poor parts of the community, who live by their industry, will go clear…”(3)

Father, will You return us to the wisdom of our Framers who despised emitting bills of credit and printing money. Help us to return to the original intent of the Constitution, but most importantly to You and Your Word, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

(1) Jonathan Elliot, ed., The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution, (Philadelphia: JB Lippincott Company, 1901), 3:99

(2) Jonathan Elliot, ed., The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution, (Philadelphia: JB Lippincott Company, 1901), 2:467.

(3) Jonathan Elliot, ed., The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution, (Philadelphia: JB Lippincott Company, 1901), p.106.