Is Taxation With Representation Really That Much Better?

How much of your income did you give to government last year? Think about it. If you are like most people you paid federal taxes. You likely also paid state sales tax and possibly state income tax. Some cities have a city income tax. Some people even pay borough taxes. If you are a home owner you also paid property taxes.

This sounds like a lot, but it's really just the beginning. Take a look at your regular monthly bills. I did. My last electric bill included $18.27 of taxes. This doesn't sound bad, but compared to the $193.75 of charges for electric service this amounts to 9.4% taxes. My cell phone bill, 14.3% tax. My home phone bill, 45.6% taxes and other government fees. About $0.55 for each gallon of gas we purchase goes to the government. Currently, this is the equivalent of about 21.5% tax. All these taxes on top of federal income taxes!

We give money to the government in other ways as well. When we register a car, we have to pay the government. If we want to fish, we have to pay the government for the privilege of a fishing license. When we drive on a toll road, we pay the government. There is almost nothing we do involving money that does not require us to pay one government agency or another.

Homeowner associations are quasi governments. Anyone who lives in one must pay the association either monthly, quarterly, or annually. Homeowner associations have the power to impose special assessments and to foreclose on property if homeowners don't pay their share of fees.

There are heavy taxes on such items as cigarettes and alcohol. The theory is that these heavy taxes act as a deterrent to limit smoking and drinking. However, there does not seem to be much evidence that increasing taxes on legal stimulants actually leads to decreased consumption.

In 1773, three years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence,colonists in Boston, MA, expressed their outrage at the passage of the Tea Act by the British Parliament. Their main objection was that the Tea Act was passed by Parliament in Britain, not by officials elected by colonists in Massachusetts. Ultimately, the Boston Tea Party is credited as the event that began the revolution which led to the establishment of the United States of America.

Imagine what the colonists would think now! What have we allowed to happen to the country they fought to create? It is almost certain this is not what they envisioned when they were throwing crates of tea in to Boston Harbor, risking their freedom and risking their lives for what they believed to be a fundamental right.

Does representative taxation mean that it is OK for law makers to pass tax after tax and allow bureaucracies to impose "fees" and "surcharges" that, since they are not called taxes, they can impose without an act of Congress? If the colonists were able to look in to the future and see the state of the union today with respect to taxes, would they even bother? Would the Revolution have even taken place?

Why do we allow ourselves to be taxed so much and in so many different ways? This is not to say that taxes are not necessary. Taxes are absolutely necessary. Tax revenues fund our military which helps to keep us free from any attempts from outsiders to take control of our land and resources. Taxes pay for road building and maintenance. Taxes also pay for police and fire rescue as well as libraries and parks. However, taxes (including all fees, surcharges, etc. collected by government agencies) do not have to be such a big part of our lives.

Government in the United States, at all levels, has gotten too big. We need to take a good hard look at everything our tax money, fees, surcharges, whatever name is given to money collected by government, is used for and decide if we really need it. Once we do this, we can say to the colonists, "Thank you for your efforts, your sacrifices. We are doing everything we can to uphold everything you worked for."