Trust me, it's okay to stop calling it the "t-word." Just say it. Tax!
Why does a discussion about taxes provoke such inflammatory responses within us? It's because we have the impression that taxes solely exist for the purpose of stealing your money, for the sake of stealing your money. And that's probably one of the biggest myths floating around about taxes.
Taxes are used to fund your schools. They are necessary in order to do everything from pay pay your teachers' salaries to making sure you have running water on campus. And imagine going to school without having any textbooks. You don't have to, because taxes pay for that, too. I'm sure you get the idea of how important taxes are to schools.
How 'bout water and infrastructure? Ya know, the roads you drive on everyday? Taxes pay for that, too. And waste management systems. Did you ever think about what happens once you flush the toilet? You don't have to, because someone is taking care of that for you, courtesy of your tax money.
Even voting is possible because of taxes. Those paper ballots don't come free. It costs money to print and distribute. Most counties have to pay more than a million dollars to prepare for an election. And how do we ensure that no funny business goes on during an election? It's because a process is in place to make sure your votes are counted properly, and that process is also funded by your taxes.
Who is going to pay your military service members?
To those who complain about taxes: are you willing to forgo those services?
I believe the discussion about taxes hasn't been honest, or useful. Most people assert that taxes are bad, without thinking of the alternative. The real discussion should be about how to best utilize the tax money we have available, and whether we are taxing people fairly.
A dirty little secret in California is that while the governor declares a state of emergency over the budget and shouts that he won't raise taxes to the cheers of the crowd he's addressing, he raises the cost of college tuition. The tuition for undergraduates is more than $8,000 a year. The tuition for post-graduate education at a UC is topping out at $40,000. It's true, the money has to come from somewhere: but why does the governor lie about it and tell people that they won't feel the pinch?
The bottom line is that taxes are necessary. You can call them tuition hikes, fees, or what-have-you, but you're going to get taxed. The best part is that the politicians who proclaim they'll do everything in their power to lessen taxes, know it's not possible.
But it makes for a great campaign slogan.
If money goes from one person to another person involuntarily, then it is steeling. Frederick Bastiat called it legal plunder. It is, obviously, morally wrong.
Your right that under ideal conditions, taxes are just fees, but when the government takes money by force (call it tax) and gives it to another person, it's steeling, and it is morally wrong.
Kind of ironic that all the leaders who want to lower your taxes want to keep on spending at the same rate.
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Alas, "Facts are stubborn things" ~John Adams.
okay, taxes are necessary? I mean saying taxes are a waste is an ignorant statement all together. I mean if anything we should raise taxes, to get out of all this debt.
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