Final answer:
The Department of Treasury and its bureau, the Internal Revenue Service, are responsible for tax collection for the U.S. government. The Department of Defense and Department of Education are not involved in tax collection but are funded through such revenues. Taxes fund essential government services like national defense, Social Security, and healthcare.
Step-by-step explanation:
The federal department responsible for the recovery of tax dollars from the American people for the American government is the Department of Treasury. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is a bureau within the Department of Treasury that primarily handles tax collection and enforcement. The Department of Defense and Department of Education are not involved in tax collection; instead, they are recipients of federal funding, which includes revenues generated from taxes.
When it comes to the federal budget, taxes are used to finance various government services and programs such as national defense, Social Security, healthcare, and interest payments on debt. These services are essential for maintaining the welfare and security of the nation. The ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment significantly increased the federal government's capacity to generate revenue through income taxes, which has since been a principal source of federal funding.