The Revenue Act of 1861 proposed that "there shall be levied, collected, and paid, upon annual income of every person residing in the U.S. whether derived from any kind of property, or from any professional trade, employment, or vocation carried on in the United States or elsewhere, or from any source whatever." This was the first federal income tax.

The 1861 Tax Act was passed but never put in force. Rates under the Act were 3% on income above $800 (adjusted for inflation: $16,609 in 2003 dollars [1]) and 5% on income of individuals living outside the U.S.