Yay for Taxes

 

When I was growing up on a farm in southern Indiana, I remember years when my parents didn’t pay taxes. That meant it was a bad year, and the farm didn’t turn a profit. I could tell, when my dad had to pay taxes. He had a feeling of pride and relief. It wasn't such a bad year. Maybe it was these memories that balance my dread of the tax bill with a positive feeling that I am doing well and able to help the country provide all the things we take for granted. Yes, take all the deductions you’re entitled to, then pay what you owe!

But what I read these days makes it clear the wealthy are entitled to a lot more deductions that the middle class. I hate it when I read the Jeff Bezos, Elan Mush, Michael Bloomberg, Warren Buffett, and yes, Donald Trump pay ridiculously low taxes. I hate it when I read that those of us in lower income brackets are more likely to be audited than those in higher brackets. It’s not fair and it’s not good for the well-being of our country—our democracy.

It’s hard to feel good about paying taxes, but ideally, we should know, somewhere in our thoughts, that taxes are about sharing, connection, safety, and caring. Ask your legislators to make our tax system fairer and more efficient.

What a Shitty Way to Elect a President

If you’re like me, you’re getting very fed up with the electoral college as a way to elect our president. So is Alexander Keyssar. In today’s New York Times, he writes,

As our revived national conversation on race has made clear, the legacies of slavery and white supremacy run wide and deep in American society and political life. One such legacy — which is particularly noteworthy in a presidential election season — has been the survival and preservation of the Electoral College, an institution that has been under fire for more than 200 years. Our complicated method of electing presidents has been the target of recurrent reform attempts since the early 19th century, and the politics of race and region have figured prominently in their defeat.

He goes on to explain the role of racism and southern politics in keeping the college in place. Unfortunately, he does not offer a solution to the twisted situation, just a suggestion that we keep this “sobering fact” in mind as we prepare for the next presidential election.

 

John Lewis, February 21, 1940-July 17, 2020

 

Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring. (from his Last Letter)

"The Wealthy Can't Stop Not Paying Their Taxes"

From The New York Times:

...the I.R.S.  lets hundreds of billions of dollars slip through its fingers each year. This “tax gap” — recent estimates pegged it at $381 billion a year between 2011 and 2013 — comes from people and businesses that under-report their income, pay less than what they owe or owe taxes but simply don’t file a return. 

Most of the gap is owed by the wealthy, who can pay accountants to mask their income and lawyers to protect them if the taxman comes knocking.

As a taxpayer, I find this personally offensive. As a citizen it’s offensive and unfair, not just to those who pay the correct taxes but to citizens who benefit from those taxes. That would be all of us. But the IRS needs money to enforce the tax rules. For the last ten years they have requested more funding and congress won’t give it to them. And this is one of the few expenditures that would actually make money for the government.

Consider reading this article and writing your legislatures. Ask them to fund the IRS.