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?