Taxes

It is a blessing to live in the United States of America and to be an American citizen.  We have a better life than most other people who live elsewhere.  It is reasonable that we pay fair taxes, to provide what is needed to help sustain our way of life.  Our taxes are set by our elected representatives, and it is a duty and a privilege to pay taxes.

When I was a kid, I had a paper route.  My mother was a widow.  She couldn’t afford to buy me a car or give me spending money.  The paper I worked for helped me to save some of the money I earned, and that is how I got my first car.  It was older, but it was in good condition.  Some of the other kids’ parents bought their cars for them; nicer cars, too.  They usually didn’t treat their cars as well as I treated mine.  It took a lot of delivering papers in the summer heat and winter snow to buy my car, and I had an investment in keeping it nice.  I knew that there was no way to fix it or replace it if I tore it up, because we didn’t have the money.

A side benefit of paying taxes is that it gives us a sense of ownership in our community and nation, a feeling of being useful and productive, and a stake in the outcomes of government policies. (Luke 12:34) I feel that each adult American citizen should pay taxes. Our most important duty is to God and His kingdom, however, we owe our fair share of taxes to the support of our country. (Luke 20:20-25)

We all pay sales taxes, property taxes, gasoline taxes, and so on. However, some people do not pay income taxes; either because they are lower income, or because they are rich enough to hire experts to help them avoid paying.  I think each adult who earns money in the United States should pay a minimum income tax of $100.00 for most of us, and $10,000.00 for those with incomes over $250,000.00 per year; regardless of how the deductions, exemptions, loop holes and so on play out.  No one should be refunded money that they did not pay in.

I would be happier to pay taxes if tax preparation was simpler. I seem to recall being told in college that, when the income tax amendment was passed, Americans were promised that filing their tax returns would never become so complicated that they would need professional help to do it.  (I think we were similarly promised that our social security number would never be used as a general identification number.)  Well, I prepare my own tax return every year, without professional help, however, I need professional (psychiatric) help after I am finished.

I expect the government to spend our tax money for the public benefit in accordance with the limits of government established in the constitution.  I expect the government to be careful not to waste my tax dollars.  Lastly, I want no public money, at any level of government, to be spent on providing abortions; here or abroad.