Here's a simple, but good idea (US Tax Policy)

JohnT · April 13, 2003, 19:31

A month after starting a thread berating people for cutting 'n pasting articles and then saying "discuss", I'm gonna do the same. Forgive me, for I am human.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,84052,00.html

(Never mind the source, if you want to dis it, go to any of the other 3-5 threads on Fox News. After all, the guy is introducing this, regardless of who reported it. Thanks!)

Lawmaker Suggests Moving Tax Deadline Closer to Election Day.

Quote:

WASHINGTON — Tax Day can be painful, but Rep. Roscoe Bartlett doesn't think it's painful enough for politicians.

That's why the Maryland Republican is introducing a bill to move the tax filing deadline from April 15 to the first Monday in November, the day before Election Day.

He thinks that the change would help people realize what their taxes are paying for and encourage more of them to vote -- and to vote differently.

"This is just an obvious thing, a very simple thing," Bartlett said last week. It is the second time Bartlett has tried to make the change -- an identical bill died in the last Congress.

Right now the filing deadline and Election Day are almost as far apart as possible, Bartlett said, and by the time people vote, they probably do not remember how much they paid in taxes.

Moving the dates closer together would make voters more aware of the price they pay for government services, said Dan Clifton, spokesman for Americans for Tax Reform.

It would also make people realize they have the power to affect where their money goes, said Edward L. Hudgins, Washington director of the Objectivist Center.

Moving the deadline would "remind voters that they are taxpayers who suffer under heavy burdens, and taxpayers that they are voters who can remedy their situation," he said.

Anthony Burke, a spokesman for the Internal Revenue Service, said the agency does not comment on pending legislation.

Burke did say that the tax filing deadline was changed in 1955 from March 15 to April 15, but he did not know the reason for the change.

Tax reform groups said changing the date to November would be a logical move.

"Purchasing on Election Day and paying for it on April 15th is like purchasing the government on a credit card," said Jonathan Collegio, a spokesman for Americans for Tax Reform.

Bartlett said that he thinks most people do not realize how much of their tax money goes to support programs that the Constitution does not authorize the federal government to provide. Holding a pocket-sized version of the Constitution, he said that most of the things lawmakers spend taxpayers' money on cannot be found in the document -- even obvious benefits like public schools.

"My hope is they will vote more responsibly," if they vote right after paying taxes, he said.

Bartlett said he already has 20 cosponsors for his bill and is confident he can win enough support to get it through the House, unlike last time.

SlowwHand · April 13, 2003, 19:48

Actually, that's a good idea.

Skanky Burns · April 13, 2003, 19:54

The Mad Monk · April 13, 2003, 20:00

I LIKE it!

Ming · April 13, 2003, 20:10

An intersting concept... but you need the tax deadline to be after the end of the year... or, you would need to change the "tax year" to match the filing deadline

JohnT · April 13, 2003, 20:17

Yeah, it might be that one year we would have to file twice - the last April 15th deadline and the new "first Monday in November" deadline. The tax year would probably be determined from, say, June to June, with all 1099's, W-4s and etc needing to be mailed out by the end of July, giving preparers their usual 2.5 months to do their stuff (actually, they would get an extra 2 weeks with a June-ending FY).

Shi Huangdi · April 13, 2003, 20:23

Spiffor · April 13, 2003, 21:46

Interesting idea.
But also dangerous. If the citizen pays his taxes right before the election's day, it can make taxes the most important issue of the campaign, or at least of the late campaign.
This could be a wizardy solely intended to boost the score of anti-tax candidates. This could also make the campaign even more daemagogic.

Such a decision can be good, if it is countered by something else that forcefully explains to people at the same time how useful taxes are.
For example, make it a special day where civil servants get their pay, welfare recievers get their welfare, students get their allowances etc etc.

Bosh · April 13, 2003, 21:56

Republicans wanting to create a bureaucratical mess what won't save the taxpayer any money at all in order to score political points with people with short memories? Say it isn't so!

Vanguard · April 13, 2003, 21:56

I really doubt that people have much trouble remembering how much they pay in taxes.

I don't.

JohnT · April 13, 2003, 22:09

Uh oh! Might have taxpayers too aware of how much they paid in income taxes too close to election time! Can't have that - that'd taint the process!

I'll give ya credit for balls, but you lose points for substance.

Spiffor · April 13, 2003, 22:18

John :
The problem is not to have citizens aware of the amount of taxes they pay when voting. The problem is to give them the suffering side one day before, which will make tax reduction the most important issue late election, even if in reality, more important issues should motivate the choice.

It looks like an attempt to artificially make the voter think of his taxes only, i.e an artificial attempt to boost votes for antitaxes candidates.

I'm all for giving the voter as much info as possible, but it has to work both ways. The current project is one-sided and seems to have petty-politics motivations.

gsmoove23 · April 13, 2003, 23:38

Why not have the taxpayer get viciously poked with sticks before entering the polls. Get 'em nice and angry.

Ming · April 13, 2003, 23:42

gsmoove23... a real problem these days is just getting them to vote... sigh...

So maybe we should poke EVERY registered voter just to get them to vote...

Drake Tungsten · April 13, 2003, 23:45

Good idea.

Skanky Burns · April 13, 2003, 23:45

Australia just fines people $50 if they don't vote.
We get record voter turnouts every year.

gsmoove23 · April 14, 2003, 00:28

Good idea Ming

What did the Athenians do? I seem to remember them having Persian slaves who would run around gathering up citizens with lassos and dragging them to do their civic duties.

Maybe there's a use for those Guantanamo prisoners...

Master Zen · April 14, 2003, 02:04

Sounds like a good idea actually, although I do agree with Spiffor that it might make taxes a bigger electoral issue.

As for voting, I do not think it is right for people to get fined because they don't vote. If people don't vote it is because political parties have failed to convince these people that it is worth spending some time filling a ballot, and that is really sad, because it showes a political system without faith.

Until people actually sense that political parties are in it for the good of the country and not for their own agendas, will voter turnouts be low. Blame the parties for their ineptitude, not the voters for their apathy.

Az · April 14, 2003, 02:23

Quote:

Australia just fines people $50 if they don't vote.
We get record voter turnouts every year.

Herzog · April 14, 2003, 03:31

in chile we do the same thing, around 50 bucks too....but its not obligation to vote if you are not inscribed
anyway, is very easy not to pay that fine, all you have to do is say you were 200 Km. away from your voting table

The Mad Monk · April 14, 2003, 04:07

Well, I just finished doing my income tax. I'll write out the check after I've cashed my paycheck for this pay period. $2600.

Berzerker · April 14, 2003, 04:42

It is interesting that tax day is roughly 6 months away from election day... Was that just a coincidence?

Arrian · April 14, 2003, 11:50

I like the fine for not voting.

-Arrian

rah · April 14, 2003, 11:56

Quote:

Originally posted by Berzerker
It is interesting that tax day is roughly 6 months away from election day... Was that just a coincidence?

It takes me six months to get over being pissed about the 44K I gave the federal government for last year.

Sava · April 14, 2003, 12:00

I'm in favor of it if it doesn't cost too much or create too much of a hassle.

Lawrence of Arabia · April 14, 2003, 15:49

If people are really mad about their taxes, then they will remember in time for election. If they are only slightly mad, and the date is changed to november, then you will have more people voting anti tax because it is still fresh in their minds. Which of course gives the republican and libertarian parties a boost, while putting down the democrats, and the greens.