[Southack]

"Just looking at "tax freedom day" since 1950 or so will give most people the understanding--since then, the tax burden has gone up so that instead of a late-February date it's now a mid-May date. That's about 3 months, or 25% of a year."

That's some really outdated data that you are relying on.

Bush's 2nd tax cut dropped federal income taxes to $45 (yes, fourty-five Dollars) per year for a family of four earning $40,000 per year.

That's an income tax freedom day of January 1.

[dirtboy]

That's an income tax freedom day of January 1.

Of course, you still have FICA, gas taxes, excise taxes, phone taxes, cigarette taxes and many, many other taxes. And that's just at the federal level. Throw in state and local taxes, and Independence Day is still well into Spring. Unless, of course, you don't work, and that day comes a lot sooner.