“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.” - Thomas Jefferson
Boston had it's Tea Party in 1773 to achieve tax transparency and contain government spending. In the Midwest, we're having Cow Pie Parties now for the same. Here is a start to the laundry list of taxes we currently pay in the United States. Most represent unique and noxious cow pies. Which one do you find most offensive, and first on your reform list?
1. Income Taxes; Federal, State and Local (surely the most foul of all cow pies as even the genius Albert Einstein once said, "The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax." )
2. Accounts Receivable Tax
3. Building Permit Tax
4. Capital Gains Tax
5. CDL License Tax
6. Cigarette Tax
7. Corporate Income Tax
8. Dog License Tax
9. Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
10. Fishing License Tax
11. Food License Tax
12. Fuel Permit Tax
13. Gasoline Tax
14. Hunting License Tax
15. Inheritance Tax
16. Inventory Tax
17. IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)
18. IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
19. Liquor Tax
2o. Local-Option Tax (including Special District Sales Taxes)
21. Luxury Tax
22. Marriage License Tax
23. Medicare Tax
24. Property Tax
25. Real Estate Tax
26. Recreational Vehicle Tax
27. Road Toll Booth Tax
28. Road Usage Taxes (truckers)
29. Sales Taxes
30. School Tax
31. Septic Permit Tax
32. Service Charge Tax
33. Social Security Tax
34. State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
35. Telephone Federal Excise Tax
36. Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
37. Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
38. Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
39. Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
40. Telephone State and Local Tax
41. Telephone Usage Charge Tax
*(Check your latest phone bill, likely half of it is taxes)
42. Toll Bridge Taxes Toll
43. Tunnel Taxes
44. Trailer Registration
45. Tax Utility Taxes
46. Vehicle License Registration Tax
47. Vehicle Sales Tax
48. Watercraft Registration Tax
49. Well Permit Tax
50. Workers’ Compensation Tax
Surely we've missed some, but here is another great site for further gruesome details (click here).
And exactly why did we allow these to all come about? In that it is entirely our choice, should we now allow them to remain to be?
Picture it, little brown cow pies soon for each and every perverse incentive and tax that we've allowed ourselves to be burdened by today, labeled and numbered accordingly, federally, state by state, and locally. American's will soon be sending and even personally delivering them to their own employees (otherwise known as their legislators), thereby putting their own little cow pies right back in their own offices, peacefully and in good humor. Members of Congress may have been able to get away with exempting themselves from their own laws but, as the popular chilren's book taught, everybody poops. Cow pie piles of their own making at every legislators doorstep, hooray! This is our country, and we're paying attention to each and every insidious tax now, big and small, and we've had enough. A throwback to the basics of our Constitution is our demand, it's really that simple.
The good news is that there are things being done about it now, and our Pie Parties will continue to help with them. Click on any of these for other current good signs:
The Constitution
Fair Tax ( Less / How It Works / How Much? / Collecting / Her / Him )
SAFE Commission Legislation
Citizens Against Government Waste
Audit the Fed
"If you thought Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme was bad, wait until you hear about the inverted pyramid scheme the federal government is working on. While Mr. Madoff preyed on people who trusted him with their money, the federal government has everyone's money, and the implications of its actions are worse."
- The Wall Street Journal; article excerpt; 4.13.09