Taxation is an odd sort of thing. Its’ function is multi-purpose. Most notably it funds our infrastructure, things that all of us need: roads, education, police, health care (in an odd sort of barbaric way): the Department of War. Many more things.
But just as important is its control of money circulation. Bear with me. How do we want citizens to spend or save money to enrich our ideals as a decent, humane society? What do we believe, as a society, are our ideals? Do we, as a community, believe that decency demands basic necessities: housing, food, health, education, clean air and water, are for all? Or does it mean that each individual is on his own? (Elon Musk) This is what taxation in a capitalist society is about.
When, in the 1950’s and 60’s we had a top income tax rate of over 90%, we were saying to rich people, “spend your money on developing your business and paying your workers more, rather than saving your profits, because, otherwise we’re going to take over 90% of what you make.” This is simplistic but the economy boomed. The middle class grew as unions thrived and wages surpassed inflation. (to deny that racism, unpaid “women’s” work, and underpaid immigrant workers made this possible would be irresponsible). But taxing rich people made our society more democratic and prosperous for all.
Taxation, most importantly, and ideally, is about how we want to go forward as a capitalist society. It’s saying, “How do we want to make our community better? What do we want? And then and only then; we ask, how do we raise the money?”. That’s taxation.
By the time of Reagan, we decided that, if we gave our money to rich people, they would take care of us. We workers became children of the rich, who would determine our future. We massively cut taxes on the richest of us so they would give it back to us workers in better paid jobs: so, each of us could decide our own future. It’s every man for himself. Give massive tax breaks to the rich, and tax exemptions for “charitable donations” and inheritance, essentially allowing the rich and their children to determine what we want for our society as opposed to a democratically determined discussion of our priorities.
So, why is it, that right now, we’re asking how to cut back? We’re no longer asking what we want for the future. We’re asking how to make do with our paltry revenue. Are we poor? Aren’t we the richest nation on earth? Isn’t capitalism the most wealth producing economic system in history? How has giving our money to the rich people benefitted our community? We’re all doing our jobs. We’re working like slaves, trying to do the right thing. Using education as an example: we’re having to send our children out of our towns, because we don’t have enough money. Instead of asking how do we keep our kids here locally, to be loved by us, and then making sure they have the opportunity to be involved in larger organizations as needed for their benefit, we say we have to bus them to other places so we can save money. It’s unhealthy on all levels. We need to fully fund our ideals of public education through taxation and the only way to do that is taxing the wealthy. And this is just education, there’s so much more. It’s not about money. We have plenty. It’s not about our rural situation. It’s about reclaiming the wealth that we workers generate, and, in a capitalist system, that’s taxation.
Taxes should be levied on extreme wealth, not on mythical, outdated property taxes of the past. We have to get rid of the silly excuse that the rich people will leave. That’s been shown time and time again to be false. The excuse I get from our lawmakers is that Vermont is already at the high end of rich people taxation. I say great! Let’s be a leader. The PROSPER Act (H.794) is such an action. It taxes the very wealthy, adding an estimated $400 million per year to our revenues.
Massachusetts and New York will gladly join us if we lead. Remember, we lost our health center, our pharmacy, our banks, and now our schools, because we’re too rural and so we’re not affordable to the private sector. It’s time we take back our public spaces through taxing those who have benefitted most from the archaic system (Reaganomics) of giving our money to the rich so they will “take care of us”. We can take care of ourselves if we just take back the wealth that we created. The tax system just gave it to the rich. It’s time for tax justice. We need to take our money back. Tax the rich.
Lehman lives in Warren
