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Politics : American Presidential Politics and foreign affairs -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Farmboy who wrote (50873)	4/23/2012 1:20:39 AM
From: greatplains_guy	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 71588

High taxes burden working people By Scott Brown Monday, April 16, 2012 This year, Americans had to work from Jan. 1 until today just to earn enough to pay their total annual tax bill. Starting tomorrow, you can start working for yourself. That we must work 107 days out of the year just to finance government spending is not right. But adding insult to injury is the reckless way government manages our money. Americans are willing to pay to support vital services like national defense, roads, fire and police protection, education and a safety net for the elderly and the poor. What is intolerable is the hundreds of billions of dollars of our hard-earned money that is wasted on unnecessary programs, duplication, red tape, fraud, abuse and mismanagement. Over the past decade, the federal government has made hundreds of billions of dollars in improper payments, including more than $1 billion in payments to people who are deceased. If the federal government can’t even figure out whether citizens are alive or dead, why should we trust them to spend even more of our tax dollars? Washington politicians are simply addicted to spending other people’s money. The federal government will spend 31 percent more this year than it spent in 2008. And no matter how much we give, they will spend that much and more. That’s why our national debt now stands at $15.6 trillion, and growing fast. That represents $50,000 owed by every man, woman and child in the country. And yet, there are some who want to raise taxes further to continue to fuel Washington’s spending addiction. Make no mistake, give Washington an extra dime and they will spend a dollar. That’s why we need to stop raising taxes and make government do more with what it already has. During these difficult economic times, families are tightening their belts and trying to make do with smaller paychecks. Americans now pay more today in taxes than they spend on groceries, clothing and shelter combined. Congress, too, needs to make the difficult choices to get spending under control. Raising taxes is Washington’s way of admitting that it can’t kick the spending habit. It’s time for an intervention. We need a top to bottom review of every federal program, to ensure each is necessary and run efficiently. It starts with transparency — that’s why I’m pushing for passage of a bill I filed last year that would give every taxpayer a “receipt” that will show Americans exactly how their dollars are spent, as well as just how much spending and new debt we are piling on the backs of our children and grandchildren that year. Before the federal government asks more of Americans, they should be collecting what is already owed. Currently, this tax gap tops $500 billion. And part of this effort must include federal workers paying the back taxes they owe. Current and former federal employees, who derive their salaries from the taxpayer, owe more than $3 billion in unpaid taxes. That’s why I am introducing legislation that will require those employees who are behind on their taxes to start a repayment plan or have their wages garnished. Finally, we need to reform the tax code to make it fairer and simpler, ending special interest loopholes and reducing rates to make them more globally competitive. On April 1, reductions in business tax rates in Japan made America the most highly taxed country in the world as a place to do business. For a nation that prides itself on innovation and entrepreneurship, that’s shameful. And for a country desperately struggling to escape the current economic morass, it’s completely counter-productive. Letting businesses and people keep more of what they earn will create jobs and help our economy grow. What we don’t need is higher taxes. Raising taxes means fewer jobs — it’s that simple. For example, industry experts in Massachusetts are already predicting job losses across our state if the 2.3 percent tax hike on medical device companies goes into effect next year. Here in the Bay State, there are more than 400 medical device companies that provide thousands of good-paying jobs, and this job-killing tax hike will crush them. The federal government has proven time and again that it is not a responsible steward of your tax dollars. Until they start respecting the taxpayers’ dollars, we shouldn’t give them any more. Scott Brown is the junior senator from Massachusetts. bostonherald.com