Duties of the Citizen
I found two related stories on ArmyTimes.com:
N.M. scraps state income tax on troops
New Mexico has joined the handful of states that does not tax the pay of active-duty service members after Gov. Bill Richardson signed that change into law March 16.’
[…]
The tax savings will average about $1,350 per year for an estimated 10,000 active-duty military members in the state and $133 per year for the roughly 3,000 National Guard and reserve personnel who will serve at least part of the year on active duty, according to the New Mexico Department of Taxation and revenue.
Bill would make all military pay tax-free
A bill exempting all military pay and benefits from federal income taxes was introduced Monday in the House of Representatives.
“U.S. soldiers are fighting hard to protect our freedoms, and they should be protected from the long arm of the IRS,” said Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, the chief sponsor of a bill that has four Republican cosponsors.
Culberson said the bill, HR 1559, which he is calling the Armed Forces Tax Relief Act, “will allow soldiers to concentrate on defending America, rather than worrying about paying their taxes.”
Sounds great, huh? No taxes at all for Active Duty Military… ever! What a deal. In the past I wondered why we pay taxes anyway. I mean, the government pays my salary and then I pay some of it right back. Strange. But, to be honest, I don’t pay much of it back. In my tax bracket, with my deductions, I get most of my taxes back when I file my return. And, being a Texan (and damned proud of it!), I don’t pay state income tax, either. Not because I’m military, but because Texas doesn’t have a state income tax. Most of Texas’ revenue is generated from sales and property taxes.
So, as it is, I stand little to gain from HR1559. But, I’m against it.
Did your eyes pop out? Yes, you read correctly, I am against a bill that would benefit me monetarily. Why? Am I stupid? Am I out of my mind? Or is it that I’m a closet liberal and I believe that the government can spend my money better than I ever could?
None of the above. I think I’m fairly clever and I don’t have a fever. I definitely know I spend my money better than Uncle Sam and his cronies. So why be against a bill that would allow me to keep more of my hard-earned cash?
Because I am a citizen. First. And citizens pay taxes. I don’t agree with all the taxes we are forced to pay and I certainly think that most tax rates are too high, but I want to pay taxes. I want to contribute my fair share, not more, not less, just a fair share.
I believe that government has it purposes and needs revenue to do them. Funding and fielding a strong military is just one of those purposes. Funding and maintaining the infrastructure that makes our country strong, safe and healthy is also important. Highways, sewers, power grids, hospitals and other great public-use creations do not just appear out of thin air.
I believe that my military service is not the end-all be-all of my duty as a citizen. It is merely one form of service and a noble one at that, but citizens must contribute to the functioning of our government if we are to continue to enjoy the freedoms our military, past and present, has fought hard to secure. I will continue to contribute long after my days of military service are over, and so should you.
Besides paying taxes, what other duty should all citizens perform?
VOTE!
Thank you, Jack!
As an eeeeeevil conservative I believe we should ALL pay something in taxes. Even the poorest among us should pay a little bit. Less than 50% of working people pay any federal income tax, and some get more back in refunds than they had withheld (which is a welfare-by-1040 scam).
Because I believe that the first priority of the government is to provide security for the nation in the form of a strong and efficient military, I am all for paying taxes to support you guys and would pony up extra to cover you.
No representation without taxation!
I agree wholeheartedly! I proudly vote and pay my taxes (even though I get most of them back anyway) knowing I’m exercising my rights and duties as an American citizen.
I agree with you, Jack - and it gives me great pleasure to think that some of my taxes go to pay you guys your due (and it ain’t enough, by far).
But it occurs to me that there are some who I would offer a deal … they don’t pay taxes, and they can never vote or contribute to a campaign or comment on public policy. If they can’t live up to their side … then they have to pay ALLllll the back taxes they got to skip before
While I see your point, I must respectfully disagree. I’ve long supported not taxing military pay, for several reasons:
1) It seems like a conflict of some interest that the military has to pay in, when they get no input into government policy, for which the military is the enforcement arm.
2) Military pay is far lower for a given job than the civilian equivalent. This makes a move towards correcting that disparity.
3) Military members get a raise, without having to increase the budget.
4) The gov’t already uses the tax system to incentivize certain actions or sectors. The military is at least as deserving (more!) of that consideration.
5) Massive administration cost savings. Rather than having to fiddle with “This pay is taxable, that isn’t”, you don’t have to sweat it.
6) No troop should have to come home and get terrorized by some zealous bureaucrat determined to catch them “cheating” (Meaning he didn’t go to the Baghdad H&R Block. Oh, wait…).
7) It’s not really that much of a loss to the gov’t. The bridges to nowhere and spinach farmers can do without.
9) It would do a lot to make up for those military ballots that get “lost” every election season.
10) Consider it a class-action settlement against every moonbat that makes it their business to do a 1969 redux, while the gov’t does nothing. That’s not even mentioning Congress.
11) This is The Long War. The military will do the bulk of the heavy lifting. It won’t kill the rest of us to do a little sacrificing. Compared to WWII, absurdly little has been asked of the American public.
12) It’ll draw in the large numbers needed for the Long War. Incentives.
Wouldn’t be surprised to see some Dem hack call this an “obscene amenity”.