If turnabout is fair play, why doesn’t the federal government send us each an itemized tax bill? They know everything about us – our gross income, where we go, what we do, how we spend our money, our medical history, political affiliation and the number of times we flush. We are made to list loads of information on our federal income tax forms (information already in their possession). Why don’t they simply calculate our taxes and send us a bill? If they were truly thoughtful they’d enclose a payment option plan with check boxes for “check enclosed” or “credit card payment” along with a penalty box and interest due on overdue payments.
Like our California property tax bill, they could list where our tax dollars are going. We would gladly accept a pie chart but specifics would need to be included - like that study they green-lighted for “shrimp on a treadmill”. As taxpayers who are funding the government, we would not necessarily need to know who commissioned such a study. We are bright enough to realize that when there’s money left over the feds are not going to return it to the taxpayers (wishful thinking). They’re going to throw it somewhere. But still, it would probably make much more sense if excess dollars were given to scientific research, Doctors without borders, a children’s hospital, veteran’s group, homeless shelter, cancer research or rescue for abused animals.
Our Los Angeles Property Tax bill shows us exactly how much of our payment will be used for: unified schools, community college, metropolitan water district, trauma/emergency, flood control, etc. down to the penny. I fully realize the federal government can’t adjust their figures to calculate for individuals, but why not send us a tax bill with a pie chart just to let us know how our money is being spent? The pie chart might read: Defense 19%, Social Security 18%, Energy 4%, Education 12%. If we had a flat tax with no deductions or exemptions allowed, the IRS could easily bill us. People at poverty level and below, the disabled, wounded veterans and seniors living on social security would pay NO taxes. Everybody else would pay between 5 and 10 percent. The taxable amount would rise to 18 percent for those earning a million or more. A flat tax would eliminate paperwork and stressful man hours. For those who prefer a “Fair Tax”. We should be able to add such a tax provided it doesn't discourage people from spending money and injuring our fragile economy We could start with a federal sales tax of 1 percent on all purchases over $500. The money raised could go directly toward paying off our huge debt.
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We complain about the debt being handed down to our children and grandchildren. The federal sales tax would at least begin to address our debt problem The real tragedy is the condition of our legacy, our failing infrastructure. We have cracked bridges and bad roads, a diminishing water supply, broken dams, poor air quality and a deteriorating electrical grid. We are not doing anything to relieve the situation. We send billions of dollars to countries who hate our guts. We have an enormous population of immigrant labor. Why not use this great resource to rebuild our country? Many undocumented workers could be trained and put to work immediately. Their reward, aside from getting a decent job at decent pay could ultimately be citizenship. Immigrants once built our major cities. Why not give the next generation of immigrants a break? We could also use the help of all the underemployed youth of our country. We warn them not to join gangs and to stay out of trouble yet we offer them nothing. We could harness this untapped resource and give them an incentive to realize the American dream. Best of all, we could restore our country with pride.
