Final answer:
Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress lacked the power to collect taxes directly and could only request funds from the states, which often failed to comply, leaving the national government underfunded.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct description of how the Articles of Confederation allowed for the collection of taxes is as follows: Congress did not have the power to collect taxes. They could ask each state for tax money, but could not make them obey the requests. This means the national government could only request money from the states rather than impose taxes. The states were required to provide funds in proportion to the value of the land within their borders, but often failed to do so. As a result, the national government was underfunded and struggled with debts incurred during the Revolutionary War and in conducting foreign affairs.