Thursday, May 26, 2011

Taxes and Fees, Taxes and Fees, Haven’t We Had enough of These?

Each time we receive a paycheck we see that our earnings are taxed by federal and state governments. Actually any income we earn is subject to a tax. But it does not stop there.
The average tax rate on cell phones in the US is 16.26%. This amount includes federal and state taxes.  This is part of the reason your $69.00 monthly plan costs over $80.00 a month.  There is an $11.00 tax thrown for good measure. Here in Oklahoma your landline will have an 11% tax on the bill as well.
So you start to pay your utilities and notice that the gas and electric bills have a 4.2% tax on the amount of the bill. These are called City and state tax and sales tax respectively.
The cable bill also has another 11% add on average for taxes.
In 2010 the average combined sales tax bite rose by a full percentage point, reaching 9.64%. This increases the price we pay for virtually everything we purchase.
As you drive to spend that extra 10% on clothes and groceries, don’t forget the average federal and state taxes on gasoline. As of January 2011, the average state tax is $.26 per gallon. Here in Oklahoma it is $.17 per gallon of gas. Add that to the federal gas tax of $.18 per gallon and you have added $.44 per gallon of gas in taxes. That is an average of about $30.00 each month in taxes if you spend $250.00 each month.
So far we are spending $30.00 a month for gasoline taxes, $11.00 for the cell phone, and another $11.00 for the cable taxes. Add $4.00 in gas and electric taxes and you have $56.00 in taxes that do not include sales or income taxes each month.  If you spend $1000.00 each month for food, hygiene products and clothes, there is another $92.60 each month. We are now up to around $150.00 each month in these taxes.
If you decide to put your money in a savings account, the money in your savings account is not taxed, but any interest you earn on that money is added to your other income on your tax return. Your bank should mail you a statement, called a 1099INT, at the end of the year (or in January) of how much interest you have earned.
Given the low interest rates right now, it is probably not a lot in interest income, but it is still supposed to be reported and taxed.
The Declaration of Independence gives many reasons for the king “having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States”, one of which is “For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent”.  Do you consent to these taxes?
The fact is many of these taxes go unnoticed. When you pay the bills online where the page simple shows you owe so much and never click the detail, the taxes are not seen. This is even more the case when you have the bills automatically paid. These taxes have been in place for many years, however. But we often look at the total on the bills and pay them. The receipt for gasoline does not detail the amount of tax you paid for filling the tank.  Assuming you can actually afford to fill the tank.
The taxes noted here do not even include the taxes on liquor and cigarettes that have been imposed.
Keep these taxes in mind when the government tells you they want to monitor all of your internet activity for you own safety.  There are billions in taxes waiting to be had on internet sales, usage and such.
This does not even detail the amount of property taxes you pay for your home. This is an average of $1132 per year or nearly $100 a month.
A partial list of taxes (direct or indirect) includes:
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
Capital Gains Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Court Fines (indirect taxes)
Deficit spending
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel permit tax
Gasoline Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inflation
Inheritance Tax Interest expense (tax on the money)
Inventory tax IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Local Income Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Septic Permit Tax
Service Charge Taxes
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Taxes (Truckers)
Sales Taxes
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Road Toll Booth Taxes
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone federal excise tax
Telephone federal universal service fee tax
Telephone federal, state and local surcharge taxes
Telephone minimum usage surcharge tax
Telephone recurring and non-recurring charges tax
Telephone state and local tax
Telephone usage charge tax
Toll Bridge Taxes
Toll Tunnel Taxes
Traffic Fines (indirect taxation)
Trailer Registration Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax


We pay taxes to earn, taxes to spend and taxes to save. We pay taxes for marriage and taxes for divorce.  There are taxes for life and taxes for death.  There are fees or taxes to do work on your property and to stay in your property. How long before a tax on the taxes?
We have become complacent with regards to the endless barrage of taxes we incur on a daily basis.  It is estimated we spend over half of our gross income in taxation of these sorts. All the while we are told that we need to pay more taxes to support the functions of government.  It is time for governments to go back to the job originally detailed in the US Constitution. This is not a radically new idea; it has been our code of laws for a few hundred years. It is time for “We the people to demand less of our government and more of ourselves.  It is time for “We the People of the United States, in Order to reform a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity” to demand our government stay within the bounds of the Constitution and reestablish this Constitution for the United States of America.

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