They say that the only thing that’s certain is death and taxes, but for a lot of Americans that’s only partially true. Here in America, our tax code has become so convoluted that people who make below a certain threshold (something in the neighborhood of $30K) are not only exempt from paying taxes, but actually get a check back from the government. The check is called a “refund”, but that’s a misnomer since they didn’t actually pay income tax to begin with. You may as well call it what it is: a handout; charity; a bribe. In 2005 those handouts totalled $33 Billion.
So says Ari Fleischer in a Wall Street Journal article called Everyone Should Pay Taxes. In the article, he claims that 10% of the taxpayers (in terms of income) pay 72% of the nation’s income tax. Meanwhile, the bottom 60% of the taxpayers pay only 14% of the nation’s income tax. He also makes a sensible call to action:
Congress should start by refusing to go along with Mr. Obama’s promise to cut taxes for 95% of the country. With the government running an almost $2 trillion deficit, no one should have their taxes cut — no one. Given the size of the deficit, fiscal responsibility demands nothing less.
Traditionally, conservatives support tax cuts on the premise that the savings to taxpayers will be used in economic growth. However, the last administration was deeply (and in my mind justifiably) criticized for cutting taxes while enacting runaway spending. As fiscally irresponsible as the last administration was, the new administration is off to an even worse start. We must face the fact that we can’t spend our way out of a deficit. It’s way past time for our government to tighten its belt, cut non-essential programs and spending, and show the kind of fiscal responsibility that every day Americans are expected to demonstrate. Nobody should get a free ride. Any American who has a job should pay the taxes that keep our country running. Fair is fair.
For anyone wondering how they’ll make it through these tough recessionary times, Tom Peters has several tips.
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