American Revolution and Taxes Research Paper

American Revolution and Taxes

There has always been an uneven and uncomfortable relationship among politicians, taxation, and the American people. The old saying, that death and taxes are the only certainties in life, remains nevertheless true. Taxation is as inevitable as the government's duty to provide its people with services. Sometimes, however, when it becomes necessary to raise taxes, people tend to view this in an extremely negative light. From government's point-of-view, taxes are seen as playing a vital role in the delivery of goods and services, as well as infrastructure, in a country. What particularly interests me about this topic is the apparent divide between what taxpayers pour into the IRS and how little they receive in return. Perhaps the conservative argument, to lower taxes and let people create their own wealth rather than wealth for the government, is not the worst possible idea.

From the conservative viewpoint, taxes should be lower and government smaller with limited power (Student News Daily, 2010). People who pay lower taxes, according to this viewpoint, would then be encouraged to work, save, invest, and create entrepreneurial opportunities for themselves and others. The basic premise behind this is that the best spending is done by those who earn money rather than by the government. Hence, rather than government programs, which could create a platform for laziness and dependency, this viewpoint holds that work and independence would be encouraged with lower taxes and less government involvement in public life.

The American government's incentive to lower taxes or at least keep them constant is also fueled by the tendency among the country's citizens to resist higher taxes. In reality, according to Sachs (2009), this has created a dangerous level of budget deficits and government debt.

Following the Conservative convention, Obama made certain promises regarding taxes prior to the 2008 election. He promised to maintain taxes at the same level for households with an income of less than $250,000 per year. This is part of what has created the economic difficulties in the country. In reality, less taxes means less ability by the government to provide essential services.Higher taxes only for the rich is also not sufficient, according to Sachs (2009), to cover the expensive of the essential services that have fallen by the wayside because of lower taxes. The author suggests that a lot of tax dollars can be saved if the United States were to withdraw its war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then, there could be a better balance between taxation and government services, as well as providing incentives for people to work hard and independently for their own income and goods.

Recently, according to Gleckman (2012), the IRS has overstepped its bounds by singling out conservative groups to scrutinize their tax-exempt status. This has created somewhat of a scandal, since it is generally accepted that no political bias should enter into the IRS and its taxation duties.

The author suggests that the best way to handle scandals like these is to not grant tax-exempt status for certain political groups in the first place. Being exempt from taxes allow these groups to operate outside of a law that has been created for the protection of American citizens.

Although the groups in question are identified as "civic leagues, social welfare organizations, and local associations of employees," and their earnings are to be used in contributions to charity, education, or recreational endeavors, some have found ways to apply their funding in other, more personally gainful ways. This is what prompted some IRS employees to do some investigations of their own (Gleckman, 2012).

While both parties involved were in the wrong, American citizens should at all times be protected against tax fraud that could further impede the ability of the country to right its economic status.

One of the main reasons for the American Revolution during the 18th century was a number of laws passed by British Parliament to regulate trade and taxes. Already existing tensions between colonists and imperial officials were exacerbated, especially after the former group was informed that their concerns and complaints regarding the laws would not be addressed. Increasing dissatisfaction led to the colonial declaration of independence, which would lead to further incidents of.....