If Paying Taxes is Patriotic, Chicagoans are the Best Patriots on Earth

On ABC News two weeks ago, Joe Biden discussed the merits of Barack Obama's tax plan, which will provide a tax cut to all Americans making under $250,000 a year and require those in Bush's favorite tax bracket (hint, hint: The top one) to pay their fair share once again.

"It is time to be patriotic, time to jump in, time to be part of the deal, time to get America out of a rut," Biden said.

The McCain campaign and, of course, the people on the receiving end of McCain's beloved Bush tax cuts, were up in arms over this statement. On September 18, John McCain responded, "Raising taxes in a tough economy isn't patriotic ... It's not a badge of honor, it's just plain dumb."

Correction: Raising taxes on those who are actually suffering through a tough economy is dumb. But as Barack Obama has stated repeatedly, he won't be doing that. He'll be raising taxes on those who have practically had a free ride for eight years, and I feel if the wealthy intend to enjoy the services and institutions our tax dollars pay for, they should pay their share.

Here in Chicago, we are dealing with a tax nightmare. Last year, they raised the real estate transfer tax, making it more expensive to buy AND sell property in an already tough market cycle. Last week, property tax bills were mailed out, and in the poorest neighborhoods of the city like Englewood and West Garfield Park, homeowners will face tax increases of up to 71 percent. Meanwhile, in the city's wealthiest neighborhoods like Lincoln Park and Lakeview, tax increases will average between two and four percent.

In March 2008, Chicago earned the dubious honor of issuing the highest sales tax of any city in the country--a Pepto-Bismol-inducing 10.25% on all non-perishable goods. We pay a higher tax on rental cars (20%), on hotel rooms (15.4%), and get this... a 13.25% tax on soft drinks. Individual or bulk, bottle or can. Truly sinful purchases, like cigarettes, alcohol, and--gasp!--bottled water are also facing steady increases. And remember, this is in addition to income tax, my friends. If paying taxes makes you patriotic, Chicagoans should get a memorial built in their honor (or just add Harry Caray's face to Mount Rushmore).

We pay these astronomical taxes and stomach the frequent increases because for its faults, our city is beautiful. In fact, thanks to the investment in "green" and LEED building and living that Mayor Daley has made, Chicago is consistently ranked among the greenest cities in the country, if not the world. Our City Hall even has a "green roof," or a "a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and soil, or a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane" (per Wikipedia). Our parks are clean, our CTA is being overhauled and modernized to improve the quality of the daily commute, and there are so many trees on parts of the North Side that you wonder if you're in a city or an arboretum.

Now, if you asked many Chicago and collar county taxpayers if they prefer flora and fauna to hanging on to their hard-earned money, I'm pretty sure I know what the answer would be. And when the City of Chicago charges me $200 for stopping in front of a fire hydrant and flipping on my hazards while I run to the ATM ($100 for the ticket, an extra $100 for not paying the ticket within 60 days of receiving the ticket), I seriously consider whether or not this is where I want to live. Then I consider my alternatives. No matter how much lower taxes in are in Manhattan than in Chicago, I challenge anyone to find an apartment there for the same price that you can here (of comparable size; I'm sure you can find a coat closet in Chelsea for the price of a Chicago three bedroom condominium). Good luck with the whole "yard" thing, too. And as far as the West Coast is concerned, I'll take 20 minutes a day on Lake Shore Drive in rush hour over the 93 hours a year L.A. commuters spend in gridlock traffic (Oakland/San Fran are second worst, with 72 hours a year, followed by Maryland-D.C.-Virginia with 69 hours a year).

The thing is, I agree with Joe Biden. Paying taxes is patriotic. Why else would we hand over our hard-earned money toward improving the cities and nation we live in? And through paying taxes, we're not only making our hometowns a better place for us to enjoy; we're making it a better place for everyone to enjoy. That is true love of country. You wear a flag pin? Well my tax dollars helped build a new school. Let's talk about which of those two patriotic acts actually made a difference for this country.

Which is why I'm so insulted when the wealthy preach about why they are entitled to tax breaks. So let me get this straight. Because you make more money than I do, you should pay less taxes than I do, but still get to enjoy all of the services and institutions that my tax dollars pay for? Not so fast. Let's take a look at that line of thinking in reverse.

I believe we should implement an "adult swim" policy with regards to taxpayers. For instance, the people who get tax breaks should only be allowed to use public libraries for an hour a day, like senior swim at the local pool. Or better yet, just forbid them from accessing the Harry Potter section. Take your fancy money over to the Barnes & Noble and buy the damn book.

Maybe people who get tax breaks should only be allowed to send their children to private schools and universities. And since tax dollars pay for public transportation as well as roads, you will now need to take a helicopter to and from the office. Bonus: A few less Hummers and SUVs on the highways would totally resolve that gridlock issue for the rest of us. Don't play in our parks, don't borrow our books, don't sit on our trains. You don't want your money to help anyone but yourselves; why should our money help you?

At the grocery checkout or liquor store, Chicagoans wince and whine, and then we suck it up and pay because we are a part of this democratic society in which the hard work of many permits a better life for all. That is a "badge of honor," John McCain, because we know we're making a sacrifice for the greater good. That's the price we pay for living in the "hog butcher for the world," the Windy City, highest taxed in the nation. My Chicago. I hope I never leave.

Comments

[kentucky1]

All I know is that this country is in huge need of a tax reform...and quick. I don't care what party can do it at this point. I think all should look at this article on Petermanseye , it is pretty insightful.

http://www.petermanseye.com/anthologies/what-was-learned/334-the-16th-amendment

[UUDDLRLRBASelectStart]

Ms. McKenzie,

I'd like to correct you on a crucial point. It is misleading to imply that the rich pay less taxes. According to the IRS, in 2005:

The top 1 percent of earners account for around 39 percent of all income taxes.
The top 10 percent account for around 70 percent of all income taxes.
The top 50 percent account for nearly 97 percent.

Or to look at it another way, half this country paid just 3 percent of the nation's tax bill.

Based on your "adult swim" policy, would you then argue that half the country is only entitled to 3 percent of the benefits? Drive on only 3 percent of the roads? Or have access to only 3 percent of the books in a library?

Or that the biggest patriots of this nation are the richest 1 percent of earners?

I wonder if you knew any of these tax facts before writing this. And if you didn't, whether you'd arrive to the same conclusions.

[Brett Ashley McKenzie - Huffpost Blogger]

UUDDLRLRBASelectStart,

Would you do us a favor and cite your source for those IRS statistics? Your numbers use the very vague language "account for", which doesn't tell us whether or not your figures are taxes owed INCLUSIVE of all of the exemptions and tax cuts the wealthy enjoy.

Plus, you neglect to mention how much money these tax cuts for the wealthy drain from our Treasury each year. As this Washington Post article http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/25/AR2006072501543.htmll) from 2006 foreshadows, "The federal government will need to either cut spending or raise taxes down the road to pay for extending President Bush's recent tax cuts, the Treasury Department said in a report released yesterday, dismissing the idea popular with many Republicans that such sacrifices can be avoided."

But again, until I see your source on tax numbers from three years ago, I can't fully address your comment.

[UUDDLRLRBASelectStart]

The stats come from line 174 of this Excel file from the IRS Statistics of Income Division:

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-soi/05in05tr.xls

2005 is the most recent year available for this data at this time; still, it illustrates the effect of Bush's tax cuts in 2003.

The line of note in the Excel file is line 174. This reflects paid income tax share (what was owed), inclusive of tax cuts and exemptions.

Also note that since Bush's tax cuts in 2003, the wealthiest 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 percent brackets actually paid a greater share of taxes from 2003 to 2005 even though average tax rates decreased (lines 129 to 130).

Of course, the common response is that since the rich are getting richer, they should be forced to pay an even bigger slice of taxes. That mentality is reflected in how the share of taxes paid by the 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 percent brackets has grown steadily over the past several decades (lines 155 to 174).

You have every right to demand that the rich be forced to pay even more taxes than they already do. But your contention that they're not paying their fair share, and that Bush's tax cuts lowered their tax payments, is not reflected by the IRS data.

[UUDDLRLRBASelectStart]

I should also note that if there's anything you should be really upset about, it's that Cook County's 10.25% sales tax is flat instead of marginalized.

In other words, the sales tax is the same whether you're low income or a billionaire. As you can imagine, high flat tax rates hurt the poor much more than they do the rich.

So if you really want to have the rich truly pay their fair share in the Chicago area, Cook County's sales tax should be modeled more like the U.S. income tax. Low-income buyers pay no sales taxes (or get a refund) while the rich pay 20-50% sales taxes. You could issue county tax ID cards that dictate shoppers' tax rates, or directly link the applicable rates to credit cards.

Of course, some might complain about how unfair this is, and that it might have a detrimental effect on business growth -- but since we already do this with federal income taxes, it's the logical next step.

[UUDDLRLRBASelectStart]

One small correction: Cook County's sales tax is only 9 percent. Chicago's is 10.25.

[schatsie]

I call paying taxes 'Common Sense'.

I like clean water.
I like clean air
I like good roads
I like speed limits on the roads
I like stop signs and street lights.
I like having a police force.
I like having safe streets (yes they could be safer)
I like Medicare better than private insurance
I like health care for children.
I like having a judicial system
and there are so many more....

Think about it, every line of code put in software was requested by somebody and every law on the books was requested by somebody....We just need to keep up the social engineering that is OUR tax system.

[yammit]

Then Chicago, with 10.25% sales tax, and their property taxes about to double, has the best of all of the above on the planet . Instead , with the exception of police and fire , they have one of the worst