Social media is rampant with anti-tax rhetoric. Much of it irrational and naive … some of it quite disturbing. What are people thinking? Actually they aren’t thinking or just incredibly uninformed.
Couple anti-tax sentiment with frequent demands for more programs and services from government (who is government anyway?), the huge national debt and interest payments on that debt and we have entered the twilight zone.
Property taxes are a hot button especially for seniors. The argument goes that after you own your home, that is, you paid your mortgage, you should not have to pay property taxes. The false narrative being that you don’t own your house if there is a mortgage-that’s not true, you always own your home, but truth is in short supply these days.
Fraud is blamed for too high taxes resulting from social programs.
The most credible government estimate available today suggests that fraud accounts for roughly 3 %–7 % of federal spending, with uncertainties due to incomplete data and estimation challenges.
Fraud is committed by Americans against other Americans. In most cases fraud is not committed by the recipients of benefits, but by third parties.
Government agencies fight an ongoing battle against fraud and improper payments recovering tens of billions of dollars a year.
We may like to fantasize that we don’t need to pay taxes – or more accurately only the other guy should pay taxes, but that is not the real world for a functioning society.
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 