Taxpayer Elegy
Jesus said "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's." Today millions of taxpayers across the country will transfer trillions of dollars in hard-earned income and gains to local, state, and federal tax authorities.
This "civic duty" is administered and enforced via the Internal Revenue Service at the behest of elected politicians. The IRS is one of the few unelected organizations capable of revoking your passport, directly reaching into your savings account without authorization, and denying your liberty. It is the ultimate enforcement arm of the political establishment; you don't vote, nothing happens to you. You don't pay taxes you owe, you can go to jail. America wasn't always this way.
The vast majority of taxation comes via personal income tax and associated taxes such as "Social Security, Medicare, unemployment, and other retirement taxes." Prior to 1913 there was no income tax. In 1913, the States ratified the 16th Amendment. This instituted the Federal Income Tax, many states would follow with their own tax systems over the coming decades. In 1913 IRS Form 1040 was FOUR pages long, today it is over 100 pages long. Inflation isn't only a monetary problem. Regulatory creep has resulted in the average American now unable to complete all but the simplest tax return.
Why aren't more people concerned about taxpayer rights? Politicians certainly aren't...they live and breed (that's not a typo) on the largesse provided by the taxpayer. Politicians only respect those who control the pursestrings. ILAF proposes a solution to the income tax crisis kneecapping millions of Americans AND the concern about voting rights: Implement direct representation of the taxpayer via the annual tax return. Why? The IRS is probably the most inclusive of any organization in the world. It wants payment from everyone, regardless of skin color, orientation, background, handicap, veteran status, gender, or even intelligence.
The annual IRS return would serve both civic duties; voting and taxation. Referendums could be voted on directly from a return. Representatives could also be elected via the annual tax return. Ditto for the President and Vice President every four years. April 15th becomes Super Tuesday. This plan would truly restore power to the people, and maybe, just maybe next year you will get a "Thank You" card from your congressman instead of his lobbyist.
