Randa Abdelfattah and Ramteen Arablui

entered the war...

The income tax proved vital.

There's this tremendous need to fund the government, to fight World War I. The income tax gets much bigger very quickly.

The top rate went from 6% to like 77%.

77%.

When I say top rates, that was for people who were making a lot of money.

That's a huge portion.

Some of the people being taxed the most were ironically making that money from the war itself.

The media labeled them war profiteers, businessmen that were providing the military equipment, the goods, everything needed for the war.

And they became some of the most wealthy people in the country.

People like Pierre S. DuPont, Charles M. Schwab, and J.P.

Morgan Jr.

And some of these so-called war profiteers... They had the temerity to bribe tax collectors and have them turn a blind eye and not pay taxes.

And it became an embarrassment for Treasury...

After the war ended in 1918, the income tax rates were significantly reduced.

But those wealthy tax evaders were getting off scot-free.

So officials at the Treasury Department were trying to think of a way to improve the image of the IRS.

How could it get the kind of reputation the Postal Service had?

And the light bulb goes off.

They went to the Postal Service and took one of their senior leaders by the name of Daniel Roper.