I once complained on a message board that sales tax should be included in the sticker price, so that I know ahead of time what I'm going to pay.
I still feel that way, but someone pointed out that it would further hide from consumers the fact that the government takes money out of every transaction. Now I contend that every sticker should tell me both the price with taxes, and the price without. This would make it very clear how much I would have to pay without government intrusion, and how much extra they get from me.
I'm getting the same vibe here with income taxes. Taxes used to be a much more contentious issue before it was taken out of every paycheck prior to the worker seeing the money. Now the single pain point in paying taxes is an hour's worth of paperwork once a year. Eliminate that friction, and the government becomes an invisible siphon, sucking money right out of the economy, with hardly anyone noticing.
By all means, make paying taxes easier, but don't obscure the fact that someone is taking your money, all the time, without giving you a choice in the matter.
> ...but don't obscure the fact that someone is taking your money, all the time, without giving you a choice in the matter.
I've always been curious about this point of view. While it is true that you are paying money in taxes throughout your life, it is also true that at the same time you are receiving the benefits, to some degree, of that taxation in the form of public infrastructure and spending. How you experience life from your moment of birth depends on how those in the past have spent and dealt with issues like taxation and public spending and how you take advantage of those things, knowingly or not.
If you could choose to not pay some or all of the taxes you pay now, would you? Would you ever spend that extra income to benefit people who you will never meet or interact with? Would you ever spend that extra income to benefit people you actively disagree with or find repulsive?
I didn't say we shouldn't pay taxes, or that there aren't benefits of having the government those taxes pay for.
But nobody gets a say in the matter. And everybody should be aware of this most basic function of the government.
I'm basically advocating taxpayer awareness, and government oversight. I'm not a member of the tea party and I don't want to get rid of all taxes. I feel that some friction is welcome when paying taxes, because otherwise people will be less aware they exist, and the government will have an easier time raising them.
That's the price for living in a civilization that provides enough safety for having a source of reliable income, and a market to spend it in.
Not that the US government is really doing a good job allocating that price or spending the proceeds, mind you, but please don't go all "MAH TAX DOLLAHS".
I still feel that way, but someone pointed out that it would further hide from consumers the fact that the government takes money out of every transaction. Now I contend that every sticker should tell me both the price with taxes, and the price without. This would make it very clear how much I would have to pay without government intrusion, and how much extra they get from me.
I'm getting the same vibe here with income taxes. Taxes used to be a much more contentious issue before it was taken out of every paycheck prior to the worker seeing the money. Now the single pain point in paying taxes is an hour's worth of paperwork once a year. Eliminate that friction, and the government becomes an invisible siphon, sucking money right out of the economy, with hardly anyone noticing.
By all means, make paying taxes easier, but don't obscure the fact that someone is taking your money, all the time, without giving you a choice in the matter.