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Could April 15 Be Less Taxing?
| Article
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11144 |
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Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
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| Issue
Date : |
3 / 1986 |
2,584 Words |
| Author
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Dan Mitchell
Dan Mitchell is a doctoral candidate in the field of economics
at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia. |
The average American is remarkably satisfied with the system of taxation in this country. This is not to say they are happy to pay their taxes. Anyone who did not do everything they could to legally avoid paying taxes is a candidate for committal to an asylum.
Nonetheless, an almost unanimous majority of Americans meekly submit to the expropriation of their incomes. We have come to view the income tax as needed for the very existence of government. A necessary evil, to be sure, but still a necessity of the orderly functioning of society. A Supreme Court justice declared, "Taxes are the price we pay for civilization." Disregarding the merits of the quote, the statement is indicative of how deeply ingrained the practice of paying taxes is in our society.
Even though the income tax is a familiar part of life for every productive adult, it is not the inevitable or necessary condition of life we think of it as being.
Short-lived Condition
The income tax has only existed since 1914. For only the last 72 of the 210 years America has been a nation has the income tax been a means for the government to collect revenue. In spite of the widespread acquiescence to the tax, the historical record shows that the country existed for almost twice as long without an income tax as it has with one. It is a tribute to government public relations personnel that the income tax has become such an accepted part of political and economic life.
Some historical
... (1997 of 14488 Characters)
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