lpnmajor Loc: Arkansas

My wife and I are fortunate to own our home outright, after 25 years of toil and doing without. It's a modest home built in 1977, but's it's ours...........or is it? I must pay real estate taxes every year to keep owning it, because if I don't pay, they'll take our home, auction it off for the amount of back taxes, Sheriffs fees, attorney fees and court costs, leaving us with no home and no money. If I need a new roof, want to put up a fence, etc., I must get permission from the city council and pay for a permit. All the money used to pay for the home, the taxes and the maintenance, is taxed by the State and the Federal government before I ever see it, so I pay taxes on money used to pay taxes.

I own my truck, had to pay sales tax for buying it and have to pay property tax for the privilege of keeping it. I have to buy a permit every year to drive it. I pay for these taxes and permits with money already taxed, as well as paying more tax for fuel and maintenance. I must keep minimum insurance coverage on it, to even get a permit to drive it.

I pay for my electricity, gas, water, garbage and sewer with money already taxed, then pay additional taxes for using the products. I pay the country and State for the privilege of buying food, clothing and everything else a human needs to survive.............with money I've ALREADY paid tax to the State on, as well as the Federal government.

I have calculated that for every dollar I earn, I pay the Federal government 27 cents, the State 17 cents, the county 10 cents, the city 6 cents and the additional fees/permits another 4 cents - for a total of 64 cents. That leaves me with just 36 cents to live on, or 360 dollars out of every 1000.

Is it just me, or does sending 2/3 of my paycheck to one government agency or another seem a little excessive?

imbobbyc Loc: Montana

Most don't know the total tax they pay, looks like u have it hammered.

no propaganda please Loc: moon orbiting the third rock from the sun

Kevyn

The mightiest military in the world protects you, you fly in safe sky's, drive on good roads and bridges, have sk**led building and fire inspectors making sure places you frequent are safe, when you flush your crapper the s**t disappears and doesn't pollute the waterways, your children have free public schools for 13 years, there is a justice system available to you that is the envy of much of the world, your food and water is inspected so you aren't poisoned. I haven't even scratched the surface, taxes are the very reasonable price patriots gladly pay to live in the greatest nation in the world. Quit your bellyaching.

sisboombaa

You are not including all taxes such as assembly taxes, manufacture taxes, inventory taxes, luxury taxes and all other hidden taxes that disappear into the sale price. You then pay a sales tax on these hidden taxes. My guess on how much I pay in taxes is 80 percent of my retirement due to my life style; which is not considered high by anyone's standards.

mwdegutis Loc: Illinois

How is it free if his taxes are paying for it? Typical Leftie Marxist Socialist thinking like yours.

out of the woods Loc: to hell and gone New York State

I have a micro business. I buy $250 dolars worth of material on which I pay tax, after much labor, I sell for say $1250, on which I pay tax. These Items are then sold through a store, generally at double what I was paid , and there is a sales tax. Then the store pays tax on the The profit. So the government collects 4 times between me and the customer. You bet something ain't right.

TRAVii

Great article. We need more of this type of thinking. We all get screwed!!

debeda

TOO TRUE. I did this years ago and at that time it came out to 62%. So of course it's crawling UP. We are double, triple and quadruple taxed all the time and I've wondered for years HOW this is fair. Oh wait, it's not fair, it's THEFT!

Big Bass

If you v**e in a c*******t politician, there is a greater danger your tax-dollars will be misspent, or outright siphoned away by corruption. There should be some kind of safeguard in all aspects of government to ensure that all public funds are spent on their designated purposes only, such as infrastructure maintenance and improvement - not kick-backs, creating "safe cities" for i******s, and other boondoggles. For a permit on your car, the revenue is supposed to be used for road and highway maintenance, etc. (But don't hold your breath.) By draining the D.C. swamp, we hope that solves the federal problem. Unfortunately there are also many other political swamps that need draining. Keep v****g for the wrong guys, and watch your paycheck shrink even more.

lpnmajor Loc: Arkansas

This was sarcasm right? I hope so, otherwise you sound like an i***t. 85% of our bridges are considered unsafe and in need of major overhaul or replacement. 45% of municipal water supplies don't meet minimum recommended safe levels of pollutants. 57% of annual military spending has nothing to do with safety here or abroad. The "free" public schools cost parents an average of $150 a month in addition to their school taxes. 12% of all food products are recalled annually due to contamination, and it is estimated that up to 25% of contaminated food is missed.

To further illustrate your woeful ignorance; My city owns it's sewage treatment plant, it is 36 years old, has been paid off for 26 years and costs more to maintain every year than it would cost to replace it. The same valves in the potable water supply rupture every winter and have for the past 8 years straight, because they're too close to the railroad tracks. 85% of the water supply experiences ruptures due to age and corrosion every year..............and there hasn't been a single boil order...........ever.

Does that sound at all like my money is well spent, or does it sound more like "easy come, easy go" - because people like you are too dumb to realize they're being taken advantage of?

Michael Rich Loc: Lapine Oregon

👍👏👏👏

Mike Easterday

You see the holes in the roads of Arizona. Traffic is ridiculous. I go to Phoenix every so often , I have literally sat through several green lights at the same intersection

badbobby Loc: texas

what do you suggest to remedy the situation Doc?
Mayhaps we are fortunate to live in a country that we can pay all these taxes and permits and still live at the highest level of any country in this world.
I for one wouldn't want to live anywhere else

fullspinzoo

Yeah, and Trump wants to lower those figures, especially on the Federal level, every way possible. And you guys on the Left want to excoriate him every chance you get. You don't know just how great you have it. Wish you could experience how bad it would have been the LIAR/FELON for just six months.