Are income taxes really illegal?

Many people hear the urban legends or talk to scam artists who say that income taxes are illegal and then ask me if that is true.  Most of these usually happen around April 15.  I have been getting some of these questions recently so I guess the upcoming election is generating a new round of promoters selling a “bill of goods.” First let me state that the collection of income tax by the federal government is legal pursuant to the Constitution and federal statutes.  We might not like how much they take or the structure of the law, but the way to change that is through congress.  The average citizen cannot (and should not have to be able to) read and understand the very complex tax code, but plenty of “watch dogs” do that for all of us.  I have found a website that explains in fairly simple language why the collection of income taxes is, in fact, legal.  It is located at: www.quatloos.com/hereisthelaw.htm.  (The last period is not part of the URL.)   Please read that for a better understanding of this subject.