20 Apr 2014 Black Activists Lament Later Tax Freedom Day

April 21 is “Tax Freedom Day.”  It commemorates the day when all taxpaying Americans have collectively earned enough to settled up the tab for what Uncle Sam demands from them in tribute.

From here on out, the American people can reasonably consider it possible to now begin to work to pay their own rents and mortgages, buy food, settle their auto and tuition loans and maybe save for a vacation or their retirement — among other things.

It is estimated that American taxpayers will have been forced to render around $3 trillion to the federal government in taxes in 2014.  This does not count the additional $1.5 trillion in taxes required to be paid to state governments (which could alter individuals’ actual date of tax freedom).

The total tax bill paid by the American people this year is estimated to amount to over 30 percent of earnings — more than is expected to be spend on food, shelter and clothing over the course of the year in total.

Tax Freedom Day is three days later than last year and eight days later than in 2012.  According to the Tax Foundation, this year’s late date is because of “the country’s continued slow economic recovery.”  And, if the calculations were to also include the costs of federal borrowing, Tax Freedom Day would be an even later May 6!

Members of the National Center’s Project 21 black leadership network — a hard-working, tax-paying group of individuals — is outraged at being in debt to the government for such a growing number of days each year.

For example, Project 21 member Hughey Newsome, a financial expert with a Harvard MBA, noted:

More and more, Americans are seeing their paychecks go to fund growing government activity.

While Tax Freedom Day is getting later and later (this year, it’s April 21), what Americans actually get from government does not seem to grow.

Today, we debate over whether or not private businesses should be forced to pay a higher minimum wage, yet government is not holding itself accountable for the shortage of people that come out of public schools prepared for 21st century jobs.  Today, we debate over extending unemployment benefits for longer periods, yet government is not holding itself accountable for hundreds of billions of dollars of stimulus that never worked as intended.  Today, we prepare to pay even more taxes in coming years to pay for a massive health care law, yet nobody seems to be able to say that health care costs will shrink for most Americans because of it.

It is unfortunate that Tax Freedom Day gets later and later, yet blame must be shared because there are not enough people speaking out for the taxpayer to make sure those who claim these extra funds are held accountable.

Another Project 21 member demanding accountability is Derryck Green, who writes a monthly blog post on the state of the economic recovery for this blog called “About Those Jobs Numbers…”  Derryck said:

This year’s Tax Freedom Day is three days later than last year’s, which was five days later than the previous year’s Tax Freedom Day.  Depending on which state you live in, you still may have several more days before you can declare your “freedom.”

Think about that.  We’re past the midway point of April, and we’re just now settling the nation’s tax bill — which is above $3 trillion.

Since this economic recovery isn’t what it was promised — the country still has more than 11 million people unemployed and tens of millions more who’ve given up the hope of finding work, full-time or otherwise — Tax Freedom Day will likely be at a later date next year than it is this year.

This means that next year, just like right now, fewer people will probably be working longer to settle our continually rising tax obligations.

This is economic oppression, and it sounds more like slavery than freedom.

Also weighing in is new Project 21 member M.J. Koskinen, a former nonprofit executive.  Maia said:

America, can you hear the sucking sound of food being taken out of the mouths of children whose misfortune in life is having been born to parents who work?

Happy Tax Freedom Day!

But, before pulling out the red, white and blue streamers and the “I love America” bumper stickers, please keep in mind that this day is only meaningful insofar as one can accept its premise: that the tax burden legitimately represents the actual cost of governance.

The fact is, it does not.  A significant portion of this tax burden represents the cost of maintaining the ambitions of a progressive government whose political survival depends upon the maintenance of the flow of wealth from productive Americans to others.  It is a kind of “economic osmosis” where the Obama Administration not only gets to regulate how much comes out of our pockets but how much of it flows into their own and those Americans of their choosing.

That being said, Tax Freedom Day — whether calculated on a national level or for each individual state — should be recognized as a tool highlighting the crisis created by the agenda of punitive liberalism, underscoring the fact that the three-fifths of Americans who pay its taxes must labor one-third of the year to discharge that burden.  And that’s the 111 days leading up to April 21st.

Trust me, if progressives had their way, Tax Freedom Day would likely extend to July 4th.  Actually if they really had their way, I imagine it would be as late as Thanksgiving or even later — like Christmas.  Considering this belief, I would want to make a snarky comment about coal being found in taxpayers’ holiday stockings.  But the Obama Administration is against coal!