The Tax Myth
Political campaign season is opening up earlier this year in Wisconsin, with gubernatorial and congressional candidates already firing shots across the bow. My daily commute offers time to check in on these candidates via public radio and I’ve already noticed a common theme: taxes.
It’s an oldy but a goody: the republican candidate bemoans taxes and paints the picture of lowly citizens breaking under the heavy load. The democrat parries with the question of services–namely, which to cut along with taxes. The same debate seems to surface every two years and rarely are fresh ideas brought to the table. What frustrates me to no end is the underlying premise that taxes are bad (or evil, or an unwelcome burden, or a tool of Satan, or whatever).
Taxes are not bad. Taxes are not good. Taxes are simply a means of allocating resources to further some goal. Taxes can do great things–I know this having attended public schools for 17 years of my life. Taxes can do terrible things–look at our current situation in Iraq.
The debate should not be focused on more taxes versus less. If my tax dollars were well spent, I would happily pay a 90% income tax. Example: might you support a higher gasoline tax, if that money were spent on public transportation and transportation efficiency improvements? What if improved efficiency lowered the national demand for oil and allowed gas prices to return to the $2.00 range? Might we, I dare say, actually save money in the long run?
Take one of my favorite examples: Minnesota. My home state has historically ranked high among other states in terms of tax burden. Yet somehow (to the frustrated amazement of republicans everywhere), the state continued to thrive and attract new citizens. Surely, we Minnesotans needed our heads checked. In reality, the state used the tax revenue to offer world class schools and services, making Minnesota a great place to live. Amazing!
Don’t put up with the more/less taxes debate. If you hear someone starting it, challenge them. It’s a meaningless argument devoid of reason.
Filed under Uncategorized : Comments (0) : Aug 16th, 2006 by tadfad
