I recently opened a letter from my municipal tax authority and saw that my property had gone up in value; consequently, my taxes also went up. This precipitated a flurry of angry postings and memes rocketing around my little social- media world, all of which decried the actions of my town. A common theme of, “they’re sucking us dry” ran through the comments. Really, are they actually sucking us dry? I wonder.
I wonder what kind of society we want? I do not enjoy paying taxes; however, I do like civilization. I’ve lived in countries that exact very little in the way of property or other taxes and seen what kind of society that produces. Potholes that never go away mark the roads, ruining suspensions. The police provide spotty coverage at best and often require payment, which we label as bribes, to investigate and apprehend perpetrators. I watched an entire neighborhood go up in flames, hundreds rendered homeless in a few ash-filled minutes simply because no fire department serviced that neighborhood. Hospitals where they hand you a list of required supplies before they treat or admit you. Ambulances that run to only a few toney neighborhoods sit gleaming refusing to move when others call. Public education that is skimpy at best, leaving thousands of hopeless and shiftless young men easy recruits for criminal and terrorist organizations. I have seen the poor, destitute, and mentally challenged lying naked in the streets. These are the earmarks of low taxes.
I’d rather live in a society that works hard to take care of those with less, a society that provides public education and the hope that accompanies it. I like driving on roads that do not jolt and judder my vehicles to splinters. I enjoy police, fire, and ambulances that not only come when I call but are also well trained and caring. I want a society which cares for those with less, heals their hurts, binds up their wounds, educates their young, and ensures that they do not live out miserable lives in cardboard boxes on steam grates. I know that these things cost, a fair amount, but the price, the human cost, of not paying taxes is too high. We give up a piece of our own humanity when we turn a blind eye to the suffering our refusal to invest in our culture and society creates.
Yes, paying taxes is a pain. But the price of not paying is much higher, especially when I consider the damage to my soul my own selfishness causes. I do not want to emulate the early Scrooge of Dickens’s classic, A Christmas Carol. I want a nobler society, one which truly embraces family values.
Completely agree!
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