On All Things Considered, NPR just aired an interesting interview with Third Way senior fellow David Kendell, where the latter explained why he thinks the IRS should issue receipts that show how much of your income, Social Security, and Medicare taxes the federal government spends on various programs. It's a cute idea. However, I've got a couple of tweaks:
1) Okay, so this is kinda a pain in the ass given all of the different governments involved, but the receipts should really include all taxes and fees collected during a calendar year. State and local taxes are a huge part of many individuals' tax burden, and most states have regressive tax structures.
2) I don't really care that I paid 46 cents to fund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. What I want to know is how much you paid to fund the CPB. So each year, it'd be cool if I got someone else's receipt. Maybe in 2011 I'll learn that a family of undocumented immigrants down the street paid all sorts of taxes. Maybe in 2012, I'll find out if Bank of America has decide to do the same.
That would be informative.
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