In her March 9th entry in the Red State blog entitled, "Scotts Brown's Common Sense: A Tax Receipt," Melissa Clouthier comments on the proposed Taxpayer receipt act of 2011. The proposed bill that is being cosponsored by Republican Scott Brown and Democrat Bill Nelson, is designed to increase Government transparency and show taxpayers how our money is being spent.
Having posted on a conservative news blog, her intended audience is mostly conservatives and those leaning right. I agree with the idea of increasing transparency, but it will take more than mailing out hundreds of millions of statements with a lot of numbers every year. The key is to provide the right information in an easy to read manner that every American can easily understand and gain something from. Unfortunately, the Government is not exactly know for its way of making things easy to understand. Clouthier also writes that each American owes $45,000 to the Government. This is correct if you divide the national debt by the U.S. Population, but I think it is safe to say that some would owe more than others.
Clouthier also writes that the bill could be transformational because those who pay very little taxes but receive huge benefits would see how their personal path affects the government's path. I disagree with this aspect of her argument because I feel that it puts more blame on those that earn less than average. She also makes the assumption that those in that path are there by choice and by being given a receipt, they would change course and be in the position to pay more taxes and contribute more to society.
Overall I agree with Clouthier about the tax receipt, and I would personally enjoy seeing where the tax dollars I paid went.
To sign a petition to encourage Congress, visit TheTaxReceipt.com
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