It has been stated that that "The tax method is the barometer of the liberty in any society" [Dr. Charles Adams]. So how does our system of taxing American citizens truly measure up? Maybe a good location to start answering the question is having a much better understanding of how many different taxing entities exist within the United States. Tax lawyers suggest you will find over 100,000 various agencies within the United States positioned in some way or fashion to grab your cash within the name of: "you owe back taxes."
It ‘s fair to say, and most tax attorneys would agree, our system of taxes has become so complicated and burdensome that often it demands specialized knowledge and skill to interpret and comprehend the numerous statutes and rules governing the way we're taxed in this country. What’s much more, IRS tax attorneys suggest such understanding and skill might also be required to comprehend such issues as, what info is needed to comply with taxing entities’ disclosure requirements; what's involved within the administration of the taxes; as well as rules and statues about how the government may collect back taxes can turn out to be overly complicated and confusing to the uninitiated.
If you spend anytime speaking having a tax proponent, he or she will probably tell you "it is a privilege to pay taxes" and/or they’ll attempt to remind you how much the government does for us with the taxes it collects. But at what point does the Government’s insatiable have to keep feeding itself with our nickels and dimes create an unfair and burdensome tax? Maybe, an examination of the taxes which sparked The Boston Tea Party in 1773 may shed some light on the problem.
Tax lawyers and historians note the Boston Tea Party took location due to two challenges confronting the British Empire in 1773: monetary troubles of the British East India Company; and an ongoing dispute in between American colonists and Britain about British Parliament's authority, if any, over the colonies without any elected representation. But what should be obvious, is if the tax had been insubstantial the entire taxation without representation issue might not have boiled over into a Revolution.
Until the year 1767, the East India Company reportedly paid an ad valorem tax (a tax based on the value of the property). Tax attorneys explain that ad valorem taxes are typically imposed at the time of a transaction, like a sales tax. At the time of the Boston Tea Party, the ad valorem tax on tea was reportedly about 25%. These high taxes, combined with the fact that tea imported into Holland was not taxed by the Dutch government, meant that Americans could purchase illegally trafficked Dutch tea at a cheaper price.
So consider, a 25% tax (coupled with other elements) prompted a revolution! Compare that with the current federal income tax rate, which presently has a ceiling at thirty-five percent (35%) of your taxable income. And, according to Tax lawyers, don’t forget to add the Medicare Tax, which is a flat 2.9% on all of your compensation income. Half (1/2) of which is paid by your employer (which still affects just how much you earn) and also the other half (1/2) comes out of your pocket directly. Then, obviously, Tax attorneys remind us there's also Social Security tax, which again, is really a flat tax, however it has a maximum cap (12.4% of all income as much as $106,800 dollars). Like Medicare taxes, your employer pays half (6.2%) and you get to pay the other half yourself (note for 2011 only, your percentage will probably be decreased to four.2%). And do not forget, State and Nearby taxes, gasoline taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, and also the list goes on and on. So, are you ready to toss something overboard however?
If this little walk through history hasn’t convinced you the answer to the question posed earlier is most likely closer to oppression, then liberty, than you might wish to consider running for Congress
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