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After talking to a lot of over-taxed adults, the National Taxpayers Union has compiled the Second Annual Taxpayer Wish List to be submitted to Santa (with carbon copies to the White House and Congress) in hopes that the spirit of St. Nicholas could prevail upon Uncle Sam to send a few holiday tidings our way. Maybe elected officials can include these items in their New Year’s resolutions as well. Here, dear Santa, is all we taxpayers want for Christmas: Tax Cuts. The Bush tax-cut plan has yet to boost the economy because liberals in Congress required that the majority of the cuts kick in years from now. Taxpayers, and the economy, need relief now. Please, Santa, accelerate the Bush tax cuts so that they’re effective immediately (and while you’re at it, could you make them permanent so we don’t have to ask for the same thing twice?). Since we’ve been extra good this year, we’d also appreciate elimination of the alternative minimum tax, and an end to the double taxation of dividends. Tax Reform. Our current tax code is a leviathan of loopholes, complexities, and inequities that only a tax lawyer could love. How about a nice flat tax? Or, maybe a retail sales tax? Just be sure it’s a consumption-based tax that doesn’t punish us for working hard. Securing Social Security for Our Children. The president’s blue-ribbon panel on Social Security proved that reforming our failed federal pension program is possible — without hurting today’s seniors. The sooner we make the move to personally-controlled retirement accounts, the sooner the futures of our children will be secure — and the better we’ll sleep. After all, if private choice is good enough for countries like South Korea and Panama, shouldn’t it be good enough for America? School Vouchers. About 40% of the children of congressmen and 49% of the offspring of our senators are afforded the luxury of private schooling. Santa, can you get Congress to help tax-strapped parents who don’t make a congressional salary provide the same quality education for their kids? Fiscal Responsibility. We are happy to give our brave men in uniform the resources to continue their fight against terrorists and rogue nations who threaten the safety of the world. However, could we ask for some moderation on domestic spending? Since surpluses first surfaced in 1998, non-defense domestic spending has increased nearly 30% in inflation-adjusted dollars. Our elected representatives want guns and butter, but we can’t afford both. Protect the Internet. The most recent attempt to create new taxes on Internet sales — the “Streamlined Sales Tax Project” — is a blatant move to erase the massive deficits accumulating in statehouses across the country. As you know Santa, the worst thing to do during economic downturns is to add massive new taxes to a burgeoning section of the economy. Please protect us and the many small businesses that rely on the Internet for their livelihood from politician greed. Tax Limitation Amendment (TLA) and Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA). Taxes and spending are at historic levels. If you gave us constitutional protections that made it harder to vote for higher taxes and debt, those budget-busting bullies in Congress couldn’t take and spend as much of our money. Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs). Every year, health-care costs continue to rise as Congress tries to drag us closer to the failed Canadian health-care system. MSAs would give us personal control over how we spend our health-care dollars, creating competition among providers that could drive down costs. Furthermore, they would provide a perfect avenue to offer prescription drug benefits to millions of needy Americans without enacting another bloated, inefficient, government entitlement. Santa, we know you'll do everything you can to send us Christmas joy and a very merry year to come. Let's up Congress gets in the spirit, too. — Eric V. Schlecht is director of congressional relations for the National Taxpayers Union. |
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he holiday
season is upon us once again, and the children have long ago sent their
wish lists to Santa. But what about their tax-paying parents?
