How should we think about taxes?

Taxes are the money paid by citizens to the government.

One side says:
(Flip all cards) (Flip all cards)

  • Taxes means throwing money at the problem, encouraging waste and fraud.

    Our public school system is a perfect example of the false idea that taxing and spending is the solution to our problems.

  • Taxes undermine self-reliance.

    Arbitrary redistribution sends the wrong message to entrepreneurs and the lazy alike. Our system should encourage everyone to work hard, not discourage them.

  • Redistribution is morally wrong.

    Taxes are mostly about taking money from those who earn it and giving it to those who don't. Able-bodied people should earn their own money.

  • There's too much collectivism.

    It's gotten way out of control. Taxes should only fund what's absolutely necessary, like national defense, police and fire protection, and the highway system.

  • We have perfectly good alternatives to excessive taxation.

    We have local communities, churches, and charities, and the generosity of the rich – like when Carnegie built 2,500 public libraries, or the Gates Foundation today.

  • Taxes are theft.

    Taxes are when the government takes your money against your will.

  • Dr. Rand Paul on Taxes, by Rand Paul
  • 10 Shocking Ways the U.S. Government Wastes Your Money, by Daily Reckoning
  • Theft & Taxes, by Bryce Beattie

The other side says:
(Flip all cards) (Flip all cards)

  • Taxes pay for civilization.

    The free market can increase our standard of living, but it doesn't give us civilization – dignity, protection of the vulnerable, a sound infrastructure, air and water quality, etc.

  • Taxes make everyone pitch in to solve the big problems.

    Anti-tax folks like to say that private giving can solve problems like poverty. But experience shows that charity never solves the big problems.

  • Taxes are critical to preventing the return of aristocracy.

    The Founding Fathers hated the idea of a few families passing down wealth and power from generation to generation.

  • Cutting taxes means destroying the public systems we've built over the years.

    This includes our roads; public schools; social security system; protection of our air, water, food supply, and environment; and on and on.

  • Do Federal Taxes Reduce Income Inequality? by Brookings Institution
  • This Is Why You Pay Your Taxes, by Minute MBA
  • How Your Tax Dollars Are Spent – TurboTax Tax Tips Video, by TurboTax