I'm still thinking about taxes today. What's bothering me most at the moment is the coverage of the "tax rebates" that Congress has been working on. It annoys me that all of the articles I've read make it sound as though Congress is giving (some) taxpayers a gift, not giving them back a small portion of the money that Congress steals from them. It annoys me that taxpayers who make over $75K won't get a dime, even though they pay a larger portion of their income in income tax. Finally, it really annoys me that people who don't even pay any income tax get a "tax rebate." I mean: why stop there? Why can't we all get the manufacturer's rebates for new cell phones and cars, even though we haven't bought them? Why don't we just call a spade a spade - it's income redistribution.
Apropos of nothing in particular: the title of today's post is the response of a mooncalf from Denver, when asked on April 15 why she continues to pay taxes.
It's a ridiculous answer, but it got me thinking. Why are most people still paying income taxes? The government steals much of their hard-earned money and wastes most of it, but almost no one stands up and refuses. Most people don't seem to care. For example: I'm sure you've heard of pork barrel spending, but have you ever researched it? Have you seen examples of the pet projects that your tax money goes toward? Do you have any idea what it all adds up to? If you haven't, you need to open a new page and run a google search right now: the results should make your hair stand on end. And if you have, you should still refresh your mind: you're nowhere near as angry as you should be.
And for that matter, do you even know how much you actually pay in income tax? Or are you like the simpleton from Denver, and you think the money the government condescends to return to you is all that was taken from you? or perhaps even a gift? Did you know that up until WWII, there was no withholding of income tax (with a few shortlived exceptions)? That means that at the end of the year people wrote the government a check for the taxes they owed. That also means that people were much more questioning of what happened to their tax dollars and much more upset about any tax increase, because they always knew exactly how much they were paying. Now the government steals a good portion of your money before you ever even get your paycheck; but instead of seeing it that way, if you're like most people you're happy to get a portion of it back because you don't even think of that money as yours. Great deal for the government, raw deal for you.
If you want to learn more (and you should) or if you're wondering what can be done (and you definitely should be) pick up a copy of The Fair Tax Book by Neal Boortz and Congressman John Linder (some of the ideas that are in this post, I got from that book). It doesn't matter if you hate Neal Boortz, that's not the point. The point is, your money is being stolen and wasted by a government that is hellbent on stealing more and more and will never be satiated. How long are you going to stand for it? If you've even heard of the Fair Tax, you've probably heard of it from a politician who opposed it or the mainstream media. These people can't seem to get their minds around how it actually works, and they don't want to. Rather than believe them, do some research yourself: if enough people learn the truth, things could actually change. Aren't you angry enough yet?
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1 comment:
The fair tax is definitely the way to go. And it would encourage people to put more of their money into savings.
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