Saturday, March 29, 2008
In a very real sense, all taxpaying Americans work for the government, like it or not. This year on average they will do so until April 23 -- known as "Tax Freedom Day" -- to pay what federal, state and local institutions claim from their labors.
That's 30.8 percent of Americans' income -- more than what they'll spend in 2008 on food, clothing and housing combined, according to the nonpartisan Tax Foundation.
If it's any consolation, this year's pay-up day is three days earlier than in 2007. That's a pretty small consolation, mind you.
Americans pay an intolerable price for misguided mandates without a constitutional warrant, for unsustainable entitlements and sundry wealth-shifting schemes -- and for the pork proclivities of "representatives" who represent and reward only their own self-serving interests.
Meanwhile, as the April 15 tax deadline draws near, Americans are supposed to take heart in glad tidings from the Internal Revenue Service. Why, the average tax refund this year is $2,708. Sorry, but that's money owed to taxpayers -- in all, more than $106 billion to date -- which has been lent, interest-free, to the government.
And this, because of an overly convoluted tax code that even the most well-educated can't decipher.
So long as Americans surrender all this and more to their government without challenge, the greed that infests government will continually demand more.
www.pittsburghlive.com
No comments:
Post a Comment