For the past few weeks I have listened to people voice their opposition to the Health Care Reform plan that was recently passed by Congress. I don’t think that I have seen any piece of legislation garner such intense debate and outrage as this one. While watching CNN and listening to various panelists dispute the constitutionality or fairness of the bill I started wondering, are these people just now getting mad? Has everything been cool for them up to this one particular piece of legislation? The reason I ask is because for me I haven’t been happy up until this point, and furthermore, I think that our tax system is probably a lot more unfair than any healthcare legislation the Government can impose.
As a business owner, I have to pay self employment taxes. I also own Real Estate and have investments. I sat down last year and figured that close to 40% of my income went right back out of my hands due to income and property taxes, primarily income taxes. How can this be fair? As a business owner, I have employees and own commercial property, both of which we pay taxes on as well. It’s no great secret that my tax dollars have gone to fund things that I don’t agree with, and I won’t go into those things here. Shouldn’t our country reward those who provide jobs and stimulate the economy instead of taxing them to death? Let’s say I go out next year and double my income, I will almost pay in taxes the total amount of income I had this year. Does that seem fair?? I guess my question is this, why is it that everyone gets so ticked off on Health Care Reform Legislation and hasn’t said a thing about abolishing the tax system that we have had in place for years? Am I the only one frustrated by all of this?
In closing, I want to state for the record that I love my country and I do realize that taxes are necessary, my complaint is that they are excessive. I also believe that a person has a civic and biblical obligation to pay their taxes, I just don’t think that the current system is fair. Surely I can’t be the only one??
Stumbled on your blog and thought I would say that I think you are wrong. The class that owns wealth made that wealth due to a stable society. The infrastructure to create that stable society comes from the government. What infrastructure you may ask? Roads, education, emergency health care, food safety, environmental safety, building codes, police protection ,fire protection, fraud regulation, etc. It is the class with wealth that benefits most from a society stabilized by the rule of law and public investment in infrastructure. Poor people are pretty much SOL no matter what the tax rate. FYI: Most people are not poor because they want to be.
Thanks for your comments, I'm not saying that we shouldn't pay taxes at all, I realize that there is a need for infrastructure, etc., but do we have to tax so heavily? What about a flat tax? Couldn't that work, everyone pay a flat tax each year and the government has a set amount they are going to have access to for infrastructure. Or, what about a consumption tax? We only pay taxes for the money we spend?? I just don't think that it's fair just because I work harder than the next guy that I should also pay twice as much in taxes.
Wow I couldn't disagree more. Suffice it to say that government is built on top of business not the other way around. Most wealth is not built by oppressing people it is built by providing services, goods and is bolstered by innovation and opportunity.
I'd say my world view is radically different.