Why do We Pay Taxes Anyway?

Why do We Pay Taxes Anyway? 

No one likes paying taxes.

It’s easy to focus on that check you write to the IRS each year or quarter. Or complain about the amount withheld from your paycheck. Or kvetch about the tax bite on the sale of our house, our stocks, or our inheritances.

There are a lot of benefits to paying taxes though.

Let’s face it… the government needs money to run.

We could probably argue all day (and night) on just how much money it needs (and what it should be spent on). The fact remains that there are certain things we wouldn’t have if not for taxes, whether local, state or federal

1. Infrastructure

Most of us like having interstates that get us quickly from one city to another. Those were paid for (and maintained) by taxes. In fact, all of our public roads and bridges are paid for by taxes. That includes streetlights, sidewalks and stoplights by the way.

Sure, we pay tolls on some roads. On many roads, we do not.

2. Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security and Other Social Programs

Of course, no one likes paying into these programs. Then when it’s time to collect, it’s a whole different story. Many of our citizens who receive benefits rely on them to live.

Flawed as the system may be, it’s still one of our society’s closely held values to care for the elderly, the sick and those unable to care for themselves.

3. A Military to Defend Us

Let’s say one of our enemies decides it’s time to take out the USA. They may get in a punch or two, but our military and other defenses are there and will kick in right away.

If we didn’t have a fund to pay for them, we’d all be left to our own devices. And we’d probably be speaking another language by now, as well as not enjoying our many freedoms as American citizens.

4. Public Schools for our Children

Thirteen years of education is available to our country’s schoolchildren thanks to the taxes that we all pay. Around the nation, kids are learning to read, write, add, subtract, multiply and so much more.

The taxes we pay also covers public libraries for everyone’s reading pleasure and parks for those kids to play in.

5. Law and Order

Too many times per day you hear about people robbing, raping and murdering. If we didn’t have the police, what kind of lawless mess would we be in? I don’t even want to think about it.

This includes our firefighters as well. Think of those California wildfires and what would happen if no one was fighting them. It also goes for our judicial and prison systems.

6. Utilities

And now to the most basic of needs…taxes pay for the infrastructure supplying running water and sewer services in our homes and businesses. I’m sure none of us wants to go back to outhouses and digging wells.

This is not to disparage all of my friends with well water and septic tanks. It’s really nice to have that choice though, am I right?

Still feeling bad about paying your taxes? I get it!

Although paying taxes is unavoidable, there are ways to ensure you pay only your share and not more.

See an Enrolled Agent, America’s Tax Expert®, now to find out how to lower your tax bill in 2018.
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Jeffrey Schneider, EA, CTRS, NTPI Fellow has the knowledge and expertise to help you reach a favorable outcome with the IRS. He is the head honcho at SFS Tax & Accounting Services as well as the Enrolled Agent and Certified Tax Resolution Specialist for SFS Tax Problem Solutions.
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Now What? I Got A Tax Notice From The IRS. Help! Defining and deconstructing the scary and confusing letters that land in your mailbox. Jeff defines and deconstructs the scary and confusing letters in a fashion that mixes attention to detail with humor and an intricate clarification of what is what in the world of the IRS.

The book is available in paperback and ebook on https://Amazon.com
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For more on SFS Tax & Accounting Services, visit https://sfstaxacct.com/
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