LogFAQs > #959443402

If it's really only 700 people maybe it runs afoul of the bill of attainder/ex-post facto provision of the constitution also. Imagine a law that makes it illegal for people whose first name begins with an H, middle name begins with an R, and last name begins with a C, who were born in Illinois between 1945 and 1950, and who have lived in Arkansas and New York, to receive more than $10,000 for giving a speech. That should be unconstitutional right? This was a direct response to the old British rule that if the courts wouldn't convict someone, Parliament could just pass a new law declaring the person guilty and punishing them.

Hmm....so if unrealized gains are to be taxed, and we are trying to save this law's constitutionality, it could be argued that any gain from before the passage of the bill cannot be taxed without the new law being an ex-post facto law. It would be like putting in a new tax on giving speeches and applying it to speeches already given.

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September 1, 2003; November 4, 2007; September 2, 2013
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