“Income tax returns are the most imaginative fiction being written today.”~ Herman Wouk
I can’t think of a single positive statement I’ve ever heard about taxes. It doesn’t matter if it’s sales taxes or income taxes or property taxes, the consensus has always been that taxes suck and we collectively despise them. We hate them even though we know they’re supposed to serve a purpose. We know they provide for multiple essential services that we all rely on, locally all the way to the national level.
Taxes are complicated, confusing, and a source of significant stress. They feel wildly unfair and unjust, and filing them every year feels a lot like playing Russian roulette with your bank account. And then there’s the extra level of distress that comes from either not knowing where your money is going, or worse, knowing and resenting it.
I’ve had conversations with folks who think everything should be privatized. That approach worries me. People are too greedy, and if a service is essential, I don’t trust humans not to take advantage of other humans. One just has to look back to the days of “company towns” and the railroad barons to see how well that works out.
The idea of a flat tax — a flat percentage for everyone, no loopholes, or just going to a sales tax instead of an income tax, have been floated. I’m sure there are more ideas, but the likelihood of comprehensive tax reform is slim to none. Too many people are making too much money off the system as it stands.
Meanwhile, if you’re interested in a little additional information in the middle of tax season, there’s a cool website where you can type in your zip code and see a breakdown of where your federal tax dollars go (www.mytaxreceipt.org). The top four categories according to this site, by percentage, are health care (23%), social security (21%), defense (13%) and interest on debt (13%). Apparently we’re paying for universal healthcare without actually having universal health care. It would be interesting to see a similar breakdown for state tax dollars. Local and county government is a little easier if you pay attention to the budgets and expenditures.
Happy IRS season. Have you done your taxes yet? Or are you procrastinating till the last minute?