I like taxes.
Seriously. Paying taxes provides me with literally more benefits than I can count. Here are just a few.
Local taxes
911
It gives me infinite peace of mind to know that in an emergency, I can call 911 and a human voice will be on the line. To be fair, I think 911 also receives funding from other taxes–state and federal maybe. But my county sees to it that help is available at the other end of the phone line and I really don’t mind helping to cover that cost.
Fire Stations
I love firefighters for 1000 reasons. If I have a fire, chemical leak, or shoot a cat in a tree, I can call the local fire department. In minutes, help will come, take care of the problem, and leave without giving me a bill. That’s because I’ve already paid the bill with my local taxes. And talk about a bargain! For all the ways firefighters serve us, we pay mere pennies in local taxes. Come to think of it, let’s raise taxes a cent or so to give our dedicated firefighters a raise!
Police Officers
Look, I’m not going to get into the politics of this one. I think everyone can agree that quality law enforcement is valuable to civic life. We may disagree on the best way to achieve that–a dialogue I’m happy to have face to face–but I really do appreciate the many moral and ethical police officers who have come into my life at frightening times. So I don’t mind helping to cover their salaries; I wouldn’t mind helping to fund answers to police brutality either.
Libraries, Parks, and Public Spaces
There are few things I like more than a library. For absolutely no money, you can have a library card and borrow books, movies, and who knows what else for free. Nobody checks to see if you’ve paid county taxes either. You live in the county? Great, here’s your library card!
Then there are the public parks. You can just ask Leslie Knope–public parks are awesome. Don’t have a place for the kids–or the dog–to play safely outdoors? No worries, your local park is here! Want to gather with friends but don’t want them in your house? Pay a small cleaning fee, and the shelter at your county park is all yours. Sure there are some duds, but maybe that’s because the tax base in that area is insufficient to support frivolities such as . . .ya know . . .fun.
Libraries and parks are not the only fun benefits we get for our tax dollars. There are green-ways where we can go for exercise, bike trails for everyone from risk takers to potty breakers, fountains with seating areas, and more. In Asheville where I live, you’ll find Splasheville: a public water pad that locals and tourists a like flock to during the warm months. It’s delightful!
Federal taxes
There are some great things in the USA that are provided by taxes. Here are a few I really appreciate.
Public Education
Public education benefits everyone. Yes: everyone. I don’t care if you are 100 years old, went to private school back in the day, and never had kids, public education benefits you too. Is your garbage collected (a service funded by city, county, or maybe state taxes)? That person probably went to public school. Is your mail delivered (a service subsidized by the US tax payer)? Well, your postal worker very likely went to public school. Your cashiers, mechanics, plumbers, and nurses: a very high percentage of those people began their education in a public school. An educated populace helps everyone. It makes me feel good about me that I help fund a system that is so universally beneficial.
The Food and Drug Administration
Y’all. I’m really glad someone oversees the food and drugs that can be sold commercially in this country. If you are not habitually grateful for the FDA, you need to educate yourself about all it does. Start here with an overview of the meat-packing industry scandal of the early 1900s; but if you have a queasy stomach, skip it and just trust me: we all want oversight of the meat industry.
The FDA does good work that saves lives. You can be critical about it all you want, but if we did not have the FDA? Your acetaminophen could be ground up penguin feathers for all you know. Stop what you’re doing right now and thank the US tax code for your non-toxic groceries*, pharmaceuticals, and personal products. God bless the FDA! *unless your groceries include Cheetos in which case that’s on you.
The US Weather Service
We lived in Oklahoma in the late 80s and early nineties, concurrent with the invention of Doppler Radar. I remember the change in weather reports almost immediately. Our regularly scheduled programming would be interrupted, and meteorologists would start reporting things like, “A tornado was spotted in Putnam City and it should be hitting Yukon in 5-4-3-2- annd the tornado is down in Yukon. . . ” It was nuts! Now that seems common place, but then it was like some serious George Jetson stuff.
These days we can get so much information about the weather, it seems like its always been this way. But that’s because of the US Weather Service. Just look at your tax dollars at work!
Research
Research carried out by people smarter than me leads to solutions. Without federal funding, many if not most researchers would have to abandoned their projects. Federal dollars enable intellectuals to focus on specific concerns. Things like cancer treatments, ground water contamination, air pollution, and bridge safety cannot be addressed by hobbyists. Problems this complex need professionals dedicated to finding answers and our tax dollars help them to do that. The portion of my tax dollars that supports research programs is a price I’m happy to pay.
FEMA
Having just lived through Hurricane Helene’s attack on Western Carolina, I know the value of the Federal Emergency Management Association. They aren’t perfect and they make mistakes. But FEMA makes a huge difference in the lives of people in crises. Yes they move slowly and tediously. Frankly, I’ll take that over impulsive and reactive. I prefer that FEMA works with intention, making sure that federal dollars go to the hands of those most in need.
So what?
This year, I hope to pay my taxes with a sense of gratitude, instead of an attitude of entitlement. I plan to say “I get to pay taxes,” more often than I say, “I have to pay taxes.” Sure I’ll slip up and complain, but then, with a little practice, I hope I’ll remember all the good things about taxes and be grateful rather than grumpy.
