Practical Solutions Money How Tax Dollars are Spent

About a practical proposal to let people choose how their tax money is spent by the government.

SOLUTIONS--PRACTICAL PROPOSALS AND BRAND-NEW APPROACHES TO A MULTITUDE OF PROBLEMS

MONEY

Telling Them What They Can Do with It

The one thing that unites liberals and conservatives is their resentment of paying taxes and not having a say in how the money is spent. The liberals want more for welfare and less for defense, and the conservatives want more for defense and less for welfare, and so on. Well here's a plan that should satisfy everyone. It's not my idea; I heard it being discussed at work. I think it is worth passing on.

Each taxpayer would have a choice of filling out one of three tax forms--long, medium, and short. The short form would be like the one we have now. We pay the money, and Congress decides who gets it. The medium form would list all the departments of government: state; defense; agriculture; health, education, and welfare; and so on. The taxpayers would decide what percentage of their taxes would go to each department. The long form would list hundreds of different programs, and the taxpayers would put a check next to the ones they wanted to support. It would be like deciding which charities to give money to. This plan would give people who care more say as to where their money goes, without imposing on those who don't care.

Alice Martinez Oakland, Calif.

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