Myriad Thoughts on Taxation
Friday, August 03, 2007It is in our best interest as individuals to minimize our tax burden... except when it comes to property taxes, because minimizing your tax burden means you would have to live in a poorly constructed, insufficiently maintained, rat-infested dump of a home... but at least your property taxes would be low. Seriously, nobody wants that. So we pour money into our homes, making them an enjoyable respite from the troubles of the world. We add hardwood floors and recessed lighting. We build additions and finish basements. We make our homes our castles. Then, as we age or fall on hard times, we get taxed right out of them.
The reason this occurs is simple - property taxes don't take into account one's ability to pay the tax at all. Owning property of a certain value is mistakenly perceived by our government to directly correlate to a certain level of income. It is a de facto means of increasing personal income tax on a society that would revolt if this tax were openly withheld from paychecks. It simply would not be tolerated.
It is in the State's interest to continue taxing the masses in various different formats. They reach into our pockets with income tax, and further assault us by withholding tax before it is actually due. Then, lest we (the citizenry) become aware of the heavy hand of the pickpocketting State, they reach into another compartment to extract property tax. Finally, they further supplement their haul by taxing consumption, with a sales tax. By taxing in multiple fashions, and by mandating withholding of income tax prior to its due date, the State ensures a constat stream of revenue - REGARDLESS of the people's willingness to hand over such a hefty portion of our earnings.
It's time to stop the fleecing of the American public. We should have a say in what our tax burden is, and if that causes our government to fall short on its required revenue, it should send a message to our leaders that they need to be more fiscally responsible. The way to achieve this type of accountability is through the abolition of passive taxation (property tax, income tax) and through the implementation of a consumption tax. As individuals, we will have power to directly impact governmental policy through control of the purse. By adjusting our spending habits, we will be able to issue a vote to our governmental leaders that can not be ignored. Our discretionary spending will be an additional check and balance on the political system.
Further, we will promote sound personal fiscal behavior - saving, which is good for individuals, is promoted as it reduces one's tax liability. Making improvements to one's home will not result in the penalty of an increased tax burden that extends in perpetuity. Years of hard work, spent accumulating the wealth necessary to purchase a fine home will not be forgotten, as elderly Americans will not have rising property taxes force them out of their homes.
It is time for a wholesale change in how America funds its government. It is time for a fair and equitable tax code. It is time to abandon apathy and to embrace progress. We can build a better America.
Tagged: consumption tax, eppie vojt, fair tax, income tax, property tax, tax, taxation
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