How is the Hope and Change workin' out for you?

Paying our Fair Share

On April 15, 2009, the Tax Policy Center, a joint project of the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution, issued her a rport indicating that 43% of Americans either pay no federal income tax or receive federal tax benefits. Neither the Brookings Institution nor the Urban Institute are considered conservative or right-wing think tanks. But even they conclude when such a significant portion of the American populace are net tax consumers there's something truly out of balance with the American tax system. This trend does not seem to be going in the right direction.

On October 3, 2009, CNN Money.com reported that Americans who do not pay federal income tax has risen to 47%.

Over the last year we've heard lots of discussion about how the wealthy should pay their "fair share". And what is considered "fair share"? In April 2009, the Congressional budget office, the nonpartisan Washington organization that evaluates the effect of legislation, determined that the top 20% of taxpayers pay 70% of all federal income tax. The top 1% pay 28% of all federal income tax already. How much more do we expect them to pay so that millions of Americans can have a free ride? And when will we realize it is that top 5% of taxpayers who provide jobs for the rest of the 95% of working Americans? How long will they continue to pay their "unfair share" and simply stop the economic engine that provides us jobs?

Candidate Obama campaigned for cutting taxes for 95% of the American public. And while I generally favor of lower taxes because history has told us that lower taxes will stimulate economic growth, I am deeply concerned about the number of people who bare no burden for the benefits they receive from their government. It is fundamentally unfair for people to receive the benefits of such things as as our highway system, our air transportation system, food stamps, subsidized federal housing, and a myriad of other things, and have no responsibility for paying for it.

As the Tax Policy Center suggested we're nearing a tipping point. Very soon those who are net recipients of our tax policy will outnumber those who pay taxes. Allowing those who are net tax recipients to support policies increasing their benefits at the expense of fewer taxpayers will soon kill the goose that has laid the golden egg.

Yes, lower taxes for all will boost economic growth in the United States, but every working adult American should pay some federal income tax no matter how minor that tax is. Those who benefit from the defense of freedom, travel our highways, and enjoy the liberties and economic freedom that America provides must be willing to pay their fair share.

Thoughts?