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Ronald Banks
Leavenworth
To the editor:
Have you ever been driving down the road and a car buzzes by you? Your thoughts are: first, to look at your speedometer; then, rail about that guy needing to be ticketed and fined; what a disregard for the safety and well being of others; where is a traffic cop when you need one? So what, you say?
Tax season is upon us and the same inquiry can be made with our taxpaying behavior. I saw a revealing documentary, "The American Tax Cheat" (taxcheat. cnbc.com). Here are some interesting facts:
1) 15 percent of taxpayers admit to cheating (lying) on their tax return; think it is OK, everybody does it rationale.
2) 1 percent of returns are audited with emphasis on more wealthy because "more bang for your buck"(sorry for pun, not really).
3) Cheating causes each of the non-cheaters to pay an estimated extra $2,200 per year, a pretty big tax hike?
4) Criminal time and fines levied, Wesley Snipes, 3 years.
5) Approximately $300 billion missed from non-bank taxpayers; $100 billion from off shore, international tax shelters.
These revelations won't change anyone’s behavior or beliefs, probably. But, when we complain about government spending being out of sight; it is illogical to borrow from China to support nationwide cheating. We could put a big dent in shortfalls of Social Security, Medicare or other costly programs. We have disdain for not being able to control that bit paid in taxes and being told we "have to." We forget how complicated our nation and government are and what is required to be the best place on earth to live. The cultural opinion resides in the disparaging comment: only two things all of us have to do, die and pay taxes.
My solution to this situation is to take the taxpayer's ability to falsify out of the equation by having only "standard deductions." These deductions would be set by income, industry, small business, etc. with expert averages of costs in each allowing for basic regional differentials for fairness.
If we can not depend on the honesty of our fellow taxpayers, and we can't trust the government; who do we go to next? If we don't think our country is worth our "true" tax donation; maybe we don't deserve that country?
Ronald Banks
Leavenworth
To the editor:
Have you ever been driving down the road and a car buzzes by you? Your thoughts are: first, to look at your speedometer; then, rail about that guy needing to be ticketed and fined; what a disregard for the safety and well being of others; where is a traffic cop when you need one? So what, you say?
Tax season is upon us and the same inquiry can be made with our taxpaying behavior. I saw a revealing documentary, "The American Tax Cheat" (taxcheat. cnbc.com). Here are some interesting facts:
1) 15 percent of taxpayers admit to cheating (lying) on their tax return; think it is OK, everybody does it rationale.
2) 1 percent of returns are audited with emphasis on more wealthy because "more bang for your buck"(sorry for pun, not really).
3) Cheating causes each of the non-cheaters to pay an estimated extra $2,200 per year, a pretty big tax hike?
4) Criminal time and fines levied, Wesley Snipes, 3 years.
5) Approximately $300 billion missed from non-bank taxpayers; $100 billion from off shore, international tax shelters.
These revelations won't change anyone’s behavior or beliefs, probably. But, when we complain about government spending being out of sight; it is illogical to borrow from China to support nationwide cheating. We could put a big dent in shortfalls of Social Security, Medicare or other costly programs. We have disdain for not being able to control that bit paid in taxes and being told we "have to." We forget how complicated our nation and government are and what is required to be the best place on earth to live. The cultural opinion resides in the disparaging comment: only two things all of us have to do, die and pay taxes.
My solution to this situation is to take the taxpayer's ability to falsify out of the equation by having only "standard deductions." These deductions would be set by income, industry, small business, etc. with expert averages of costs in each allowing for basic regional differentials for fairness.
If we can not depend on the honesty of our fellow taxpayers, and we can't trust the government; who do we go to next? If we don't think our country is worth our "true" tax donation; maybe we don't deserve that country?
