Not something I find myself thinking very often, but Third Way has a good idea: Give taxpayers a receipt. Something like this:
That would be for someone with the 2009 U.S. median income of $34,140, who paid $5,400 in federal assessments, and it comes from this report [PDF] presenting the idea. The authors, David Kendall and Jim Kessler, believe that the receipt is not only something taxpayers should see for reasons of basic transparency, but also because highlighting the actual costs of public programs could benefit progressives:
Progressives might have a better chance of winning greater funding levels for programs that invest in children, education, energy, environment, transportation, innovation, foreign aid, humanitarian assistance, and housing if taxpaying citizens had a better idea of how their money is spent. Most of these items represent a pittance of government spending as compared to other items in the budget. At the same time, Americans might encourage Congress to be more fiscally responsible if they saw how much of their actual taxes went for things like interest on the national debt.
If I were a Democrat running for Congress in today's political climate, I would make this part of my platform -- it could be a responsible way to appeal to the folks who are suspicious of government and taxes, as opposed to the crazy demagoguery that attracts them now. Of course, I'm not sure even this could penetrate the haze of anger around that chunk of the electorate.
-- Tim Fernholz
