There’s a whole lot of screaming going on about taxes, as one would expect as the federal and state deadline looms at midnight tonight. But somewhere in the screaming, we seem to be missing the larger point of a common good. Whether you think government is too big or too small, or whether taxes are too high or too low (or both, depending on the bracket involved), there needs to be at least some acknowledgement of why we pay them at all. Then we can discuss how much should be paid.
Demos offers a healthy attempt to do just that in their recent edition of Tax Matters. Says they:
The stories we tell about tax day reflect a chronic disconnection from our role as citizens; they are devoid of civic meaning. Taxes pay for the things that underpin our public life and connect us to one another through our communities, our states and our country. When we lose sight of this, taxes are seen as merely depriving us of our individual property. If, on the other hand, we see ourselves as stewards of a common good, as citizen managers of public systems and structures that secure the city, state and country we live in, then taxes are our contribution to something important and bigger than we are.
Most of us have witnessed a truly connective charitable contribution — one where the donor of the major gift is emotional, joyful, and grateful — moreso sometimes than the recipient organization or group. In that moment, their gift is a deep expression of what they value, what they long for, what they hope the world to become.
Imagine if paying our taxes felt that way…then we’d be crying with joy on our way to the post office at 11:58 pm, rather than for other reasons.
Thanks to Russell Willis Taylor for the link!
Taxes are the price we pay to live in a civilized society, right? I forget who to attribute that to — but when you hear the rancor and divisiveness, it’s clear that some people would rather not live in such a society.
Seems to me that we are too quick to remember that this is the land of opportunity, and quick to forget that this also means acknowledging our obligations. Thanks for this post, Andrew, I am sharing it far and wide.
Not to be too contentious, but the current disputes as to taxes relate to the question of the extent to which they have become about something other than the common good. Everyone benefits from infrastructure, a common defense, a post office and other fundamental benefits of government. Very few would define these things as being for something other than the common good. The difficulty comes about when that definition is expanded to include transfer payments from one group to another, be it the young to the old, the higher income to the lower, the worker in the private sector to the one in the public and so forth. These may be wise or appropriate, but that does not make them for the common good in a traditional sense, for without question some gain disproportionately to others. While I agree wholeheartedly that we should all be grateful for the blessings of a civilized society, and that the obligation of taxation is a necessary price to pay, I think we will increase rancor and divisiveness, not reduce it, if we fail to recognize that there are meaningful distinctions that deserve fair recognition, and open discussion, that can be obscured by the implication (even when made in the utmost good faith) that those who have a different point of view fail to appreciate the importance of the common good.