Posted on 07/01/2003 3:49:49 PM PDT by Principled
Its July 1st. The First of July. A rather major (and increasingly meaningless) holiday is just three days away.
Today marks the anniversary of withholding taxes from your paycheck. Withholding started on July 1, 1943. Thats 60 years ago. The politicial class needed an excuse to move to the withholding, and World War II served that purpose nicely. We were told it was all about cash flow. The government didnt have the luxury of waiting to get its share of your income. Dont worry, though. We will all go back to the normal routine of paying our taxes yearly when the war is over. Again that was 60 years ago, and about 58 years since the end of World War II.
Why is withholding so bad? Because is effectively masks the amount of income taxes American workers pay. Tax withholding introduced a new phrase into the American lexicon: Take home pay.
Today the average American has no idea how much they actually make, let alone how much they pay in income taxes. Ask them what they make and they will tell you what they take home. Ask them what they paid in taxes last year and they will tell you only what they had to pay, or how much they got back on April 15th.
The only time the average American is ever really aware of the impact of income taxes on their actual wages is when they are given a bonus. The boss will tell them Youre going to get a $10,000 bonus on your next paycheck. Instantly the employee creates this image of $10,000. Thats 100 C-Notes! Wow! This euphoria lasts right up until the magic moment that bonus check is pulled out of the envelope. Suddenly, reality sets in. The check isnt for $10,000. Its for about $5,200! You get about one-half of what you thought was coming! TAXES! Social Security, Medicare, Federal income, state taxes!
This is an outrage that is simply not felt when those bi-weekly paychecks arrive. Thats because youre conditioned conditioned by withholding to think only in terms of your take home. Its as if the rest of that paycheck, that portion seized by government, never existed at all.
How wonderful this all is for the political class! They manage to plunder your paycheck to fund their grand vote-buying schemes, and you barely notice.
Todays the day, folks. The day that led to the dumbing-down of the American wage earner.
Yes, the income tax will only continue to worsen the status of freedom in our country... whether that income tax is graduated or "flat".
The national retail sales tax is my hope for the future, for my child (ren?), grandkids, and our nation.
Once folks understand it, they sure like it better than any alternative. There are, of course, those with a vested interest in keeping the income tax code, keeping its associated political favors, and keeping the IRS to punish political/idealogical enemies... they will try to scare people away from finding out more about the nrst. Keep on educating the masses. Look how far we've come. You've been advocating far longer than I - keep on keepin' on!
Vote for the candidate that supports the national retail sales tax!
1) educate yourself on the NRST (FAQ for HR25)
2) vote for the candidate who supports the nrst, and let them know it's important enough to earn or lose your vote (all other problems become manageable when the IRS and the income tax are gone)
3) join an organization that promotes the nrst (Americans for Fair Taxation, National Retail Sales Tax Alliance, National Taxpayer's Union).
4) send a few bucks to them if and when you can
Most importantly, VOTE for the candidate who supports the NRST - just look what John Linder did to Bob Barr! Linder beat Barr 2-1 based on Linder's support of the NRST.
Use your power of choice wisely.
How about insidious?!
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