I read an article today that began with the words “We all hate to pay taxes.” I disagree and so I closed the browser window and chalked it up as another example where reporters do not know everything. Believe it or not I am proud to pay taxes to support our national interests (i.e. national security, immigration, roads, airports, etc.). But my pride ends there. I am tired of paying more than my fair share. My wife and I finished our tax preparation a few nights ago and our taxes for 2007 have been finalized. What a mess. Here are my finalized tax rates based on “wages, salaries, tipes, etc.”:

• Federal Income Tax = 5.51%
• Federal Insurance Contributions (FICA) = 6.21% (social security + 1.45% medicare)
• Employer FICA = 6.21% (Yes, I’m including this because whether you believe it or not employers consider this part of your wages and account for it that way)
• Utah State Income Tax = 3.70%
• Utah State Sales Tax = 3.32% (based on our 2007 expenditures)
• Salt Lake County Property Tax = 1.17%

So there you have it. I paid 26.1% of my gross income in taxes last year (17.9% to the feds, 7.0% to Utah, and 1.2% to the city/county). Some may argue that my formula is tainted (mainly that I included employer FICA payments). Regardless, this is the true representation of what I contributed to local, state, and federal government as a direct result of my employment. Keep in mind there are other incidental taxes  (aka “hidden” taxes) that are NOT included in my formula: energy taxes, fuel taxes, lodging taxes, rental car taxes, communciations taxes, etc. This breakdown reminds me of one simple fact… our federal government is way too big! It is also a reminder to me why I joined the Republican party in the first place. As part of the Republican platform are these statements:

• I BELIEVE government must practice fiscal responsibility and allow individuals to keep more of the money they earn.
• I BELIEVE the proper role of government is to provide for the people only those critical functions that cannot be performed by individuals or private organizations and that the best government is that which governs least.
• I BELIEVE the most effective, responsible and responsive government is government closest to the people.

Huh? You mean Republicans stand for these principles? Well, at least I know I do and I thought Republicans did. I believe the Bush administration lost sight of these principles during its tenure.  I also know Congress has lost its vision, too. During Bush’s presidency and Congress’ last six sessions the federal government has grown by astronomical figures. Just look at Homeland Security and TSA and you’ll get an idea. Speaking of this, where did Homeland Security come from anyway? And what about the FBI, NSA, CIA, ATF, DEA, NRO, NIC, and DIA? Aren’t these all security/intelligence services? Why can’t all these agencies become one and take care of us as a single entity? If we keep running along this track of dumping more money into government to fix our problems we are in a fast track to nowhere. It is time for us to take a stand and say NO to big government. It is time for Republicans to return to basic principles. It is time for us to ALL pay our fair share for government services. Even better, it is time for our federal government to get out of the business of socialism. It is time for our federal government to get out of the business of education. Meanwhile, we will all sit around listening to Clinton and Obama go on and on about change… a change for even grander government services. Oh brother. I can not believe anyone in their right mind would even consider nationalized healthcare. Folks, we need to remember a basic principle… a dollar in the hands of an individual will always go further than a dollar in the hands of government — That’s economics 101. When are we going to return to the intentions of our forefathers? Doesn’t anyone remember the Boston Tea Party? This is all becoming a really bad nightmare.

[This is an opportune time to insert a plug for the Fair Tax movement. If you haven’t visited them yet, please check it out! It’s a fair system that helps both the wealthy and poor in our country]