Reader Dave left the following comment about the recent post on Tax Freedom Day:
Instead of a tax freedom day, think about a govermental [sic] services free day. It wouldn’t be much different for a lot of people. The banks would be closed. The markets would be closed. The police and fire operations wouldn’t show up unless they were manned with volunteers.
Why is it in our discussions about taxes, people pay no attention to what they get for their tax dollars?
It would be counter-productive to argue that we should pay no taxes. Most of us fully realise that our tax dollars help pay for our police, our military, our schools, our first-class universities, our hospitals, our highways and countless other services that only the government can provide in an equitable manner. Our tax dollars also help our less-fortunate citizens and even the poor and distressed in foreign countries.
We should also realise that governments tend to be wasteful more often than not (Remember the HRDC boondoggle, the gun registry and the current sponsorship scandal?) and efficient government is an oxymoron. All I am saying is people should estimate their total tax burden and judge for themselves if they are receiving good value for their tax dollars.
