I heard something on FoxNews today that made me laugh. Here it is:
It is becoming harder and harder to support our government in the style to which it has become accustomed.
Spending goes up every year, while our darling leaders court us with talk of tax cuts and other dreams of fantasy. Every $40 billion dollar increase in the DOE budget will be paid for by Mr. US taxpayer sooner or later. That holds true with every single budget increase. Tax cuts? Don't make me hurl...
These rates don't reflect all manner of other methods of taxation. State sales tax, state income tax, phone tax, alcohol tax, cigarette tax, gas tax, tax on other utilities, special government surcharges and on and on and on
How true!
We must . . . End Tax Slavery Now; Nov '97
by Jarret B. Wollstein
HOW MUCH DO YOU REALLY PAY?
According to the Tax Foundation, in 1994 the average American paid 22.4% of his or her income in federal taxes, plus 11.8% in state and local taxes - 34.2% total.
But that's just the beginning! Dr. James Payne of the University of California found that in addition to direct taxes we also pay huge, hidden taxes including:
- Compliance costs - record keeping, monies spent on tax planning, computers and software purchased to fulfill IRS requirements, etc.
- Enforcement costs - IRS audits, field investigations, service center corrections, criminal investigations, litigation, and forced collections.
- Emotional, moral and cultural costs - families forced onto welfare, time and creative energy lost figuring out how to avoid taxes, etc.
For every $1 we pay in direct taxes, we spend an additional $0.65 in compliance costs. And even that figure doesn't include the cost of import duties, license fees and other government regulations. For a typical U.S. family, the real cost of taxes and regulations is at least:
Federal taxes 22.4% of income
State & local taxes 11.8%
Compliance costs 22.2%
Regulatory costs 12.7%
More than 70% of your income is now consumed as a consequence of all levels of government & government regulation.