PERSONAL INCOME TAX: A tax on individual income. This is the primary source of revenue for the federal government, a big source for many state and local governments, and the reason most people dread April 15th. In principle, personal income taxes are progressive, based on a graduated tax scale. However, it's much more proportional today than it was several decades ago. See also | tax | income | ability-to-pay principle | progressive tax | proportional tax | regressive tax | corporate profits tax |
