For the first time in, well, decades, I submitted my tax return months ago, and have already received and spent my refund check. Na-na-na-na.
Sure, people like to bitch and moan about paying taxes, even liberals like myself. Conservatives hear that bitching and think “YES! The people are with us! Let’s cut taxes for the rich and corporations and eliminate all social services so the people can know their place like they did in the 1880’s!!!!” And then the people start screaming, rioting, and protesting. Why? Because people tend to like the services that the taxes they bitch about pay for.
Medicare. Most popular program in history, to this day, paid for by Taxes. The Republicans have proposed eliminating it and sending all seniors out onto the streets. They will pay dearly.
Police Departments. Keep us safe. Solves crime. Paid for by taxes.
Fire Departments. Puts out fires. Rescues cats in trees. Paid for by taxes.
Paved Roads. Stop Lights. Traffic Signs. The United States Military. Your child’s education. The Garbage Man. Public transportation.
The White House has released a web tool that allows you to get a “tax payer’s receipt,” showing what your tax dollars paid for this year. It is pretty neat.
All of the hundreds of thousands of things that you take for granted everyday, paid for by taxes. With all of our complaining, it should be pointed out that America has one of the lowest tax burden of the 34 member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development 34 member states. The U.S. has a low 24% tax-to-GDP ratio in 2009, compared to 34.3% in the UK, 25.6% in Korea, 30.3% in Switzerland and 46.4% in Sweden. The only countries in the OECD lower than us is Mexico (17.5%) and Chile (18.2%).
And while our corporate tax rate is higher than average, the corporate taxes paid were the lowest, thanks to the general loopholes our Congress writes into the tax code. Which is why if we reform the corporate tax code to eliminate those loopholes while lowering the corporate tax rate, which is what President Obama proposes to do, we will actually raise more revenue.
So Happy Tax Day America. Complain all you want. It is the American way.