Sunday, October 04, 2009

Tax Reform (part one)

Grandpa was sitting at the computer one night composing a speech he was to give at the local Tea party gathering being held in the town near us. As I was reading it over his shoulder I couldn’t help wonder what he was proposing. The following is what I was reading to myself.

“My dear friends,

We are gathered here this day in protest. But saying that we are protesting the burden of taxes that the government has placed upon our shoulders isn’t enough. The only thing that shows is that we are nothing but complainers and whining. We need to let them know that certain taxing policies are unacceptable but we must be willing to defend ourselves by knowing and being able to declare why they are unacceptable.

What kind of taxes would I impose to support our governments? The question is not an easy one to answer. For, regardless of how you impose a tax, someone with a legitimate gripe will oppose it. The most common gripe is that it hurts the poor in some manner or another. We need to be able to address those concerns or have a good argument as to why those concerns are not valid.

In recognition of its necessity in a civilized society we must ask ourselves a couple of questions, the first one being, from where do all taxes derive? The simple answer to this is that all taxes are derived from the profits of private enterprises. Not a single penny of tax is derived from a public enterprise.

The next question would be, who pays all the taxes? The simple answer to this one is that the individuals of society pay all of the taxes imposed upon society, whether it is directly or indirectly.

If we, the people, are to be taxed then those taxes should be transparent and simple in form so that we can know exactly how much the government is depriving us of the fruits of our labor. Taxes should also be imposed equally so that the people are united in their cause rather than divided in their cause as the present structure does now. In other words we cannot allow our own personal greed dictate our cause.

As taxes are structured now it is the rich who are taxed. It is the middle class who is taxed and it is the poor who are taxed. The living and the dead are taxed. There are taxes on what the individual produces as well as taxes upon the labor that was expended on that production. Then to top it off there are taxes placed upon the sale of what the individual has produced. There are even some taxes that are paid on top of the taxes that we pay or have paid. Each are taxed differently and none are treated as individuals who works for their own betterment of life and the betterment of his family.

We must understand one more thing. If we are to recognize that it is the individual who pays all of the taxes then we must also understand that all taxes are a tax upon the assets of the individual regardless of how you define those assets. When we recognize and accept that then we can see that taxes has but one end result. It makes that individual poorer. This fact and this fact alone should demand that taxes should be uppermost in our thoughts when we demand transparency in government and demand it, we must.

So, from this we can see that if we want true tax reform we need seek a reform that encourages the betterment of those enterprises from which taxes are derived. We need reform that encourages those persons who pay those taxes to better themselves. We need reform that honors those that are successful and respects those who have succeeded but to a lesser degree. Envy and pity have no place in our governments.”

Then I heard grandma say, “Time for bed, boy” and grumbling a bit I stopped reading and said good night to each of them and headed off to my room with a promise to myself of getting up early so that I could finish reading grandpa’s speech.

12 comments:

tweetey30 said...

That was amazing Griper.. You know you make perfect sense but one thing. what about those that sit on Welfare and take our tax money and run with it.. What about those that sit on SS and dont need it like a few people I know. Then again there are people I know that get it that need it. So much on both area's.. Well I have to go get my hubby or I would rant for a few more minutes here. Great post other wise.. Smart Grandpa on his thoughts...

Karen K said...

Great post, Griper. I think there needs to be FAR more accountability regarding where our tax money goes.. after all, it's OUR money!

BB-Idaho said...

Er, "Not a single penny of tax is derived from a public enterprise."
There are a few taxpayer-funded
workers who pay taxes. Since I was military and defense industry, I like to be included. :) That said,
a tax form we could fill out without seeing an accountant or lawyer is something we would all like to see...

The Griper said...

BB, if those checks had the government as the payer then you were one of the lucky ones of society and paid in no taxes except on paper.

you can't pay in to the same source as you withdraw money from unless the money you pay in is a greater amount then the money you withdraw in the same transaction.

its like a wife coming home from a shopping spree with a armful of things she bought and saying to her husband, "honey, you don't know just how much money i saved you today."

The Griper said...

girls, the post was dealing with taxes imposed not with taxes spent.

RaDena said...

"...honors those that are successful and respects those who have succeeded" Griper? Good grief! What a concept! Oh yeah, that's the way it used to be done.

As always, another excellent post.

BB-Idaho said...

An now we find that the tale of our
very favorite tax protester
is believed to be a myth? Dang!

The Griper said...

i think most of us have heard of lady Godiva's ride but i'll have to admit, BB, i never knew why until you just showed me. too bad too, grandpa may have weaved that little story into his speech for a little more color.

BB-Idaho said...

The problem with taxes predates ol Godiva:
"A World History of Tax Rebellions: An Encyclopedia of Tax Rebels, Revolts, and Riots from Antiquity to the Present provides a historical context to the long struggle against the payment of taxes through examples of tax rebellions throughout world history. Because taxation has often been onerous, and in many cases excessive and cruel, reaction to its enforcement has been consistent, heated, and even violent. Tax revolts or protests date at least to the Later Han dynasty (AD 25-AD 220) in Asia, to the era of Hammurabi (1792-1750 BC) in Babylon, and to the Roman Empire (27 BC-AD 337) in Europe. They persist to the present, as evidenced by Proposition 13 in California and similar subsequent tax reversal initiatives. Many major historic events, such as the Magna Carta, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution of 1789 originated largely as tax revolts. This circumstance alone suggests that tax revolts and tax protests are far more complex than the terms themselves imply-their motivations and ramifications most often go well beyond issues of taxation or even still broader economic considerations." ..so it appears we carry on the tradition! :)

The Griper said...

ahhh so it appears, my good friend, so it appears. does make ya wonder if a government can be formed where the people of government will ever learn of the mistakes of the past and apply them, doesn't it? the power to take another's money from them seems to be an addictive habit.

tweetey30 said...

Sorry to didnt mean to get off the topic. You are right. It needs to be decided how its spent not where it goes.

The Griper said...

awwww you weren't off topic that much, tweety. no need to be sorry for the words you said.

Followers

Words of Wisdom of my visitors

Grab This Widget

Gas Buddy

Search for gas prices by US Zip Code

 

Design by Amanda @ Blogger Buster