There have been a lot of stories in recent years regarding the public paying, or not paying, the money they owe to the federal government. For most of the past few years, the media coverage has been told almost exclusively from the government’s perspective, ignoring the fact that people suffer when the government takes their money.
Here’s a standard pro-government take, which assumes that if you owe money to the government, (a) it’s painless to pay it and (b) you are a liar and a cheat.
All of my GOP friends who are worried about 87,000 IRS enforcement agents coming after the little guy... How about just don't cheat on tax returns? A fully truthful and accurate tax return is bulletproof in an audit. I never understood the fear of an IRS audit. Don't lie. Period.
— Adam Markowitz (@adammarkowitzEA) August 5, 2022
SUPREME COURT’S NEW TERM TO ENCOMPASS GUNS, ABORTION, AND FRESH SOCIAL MEDIA CHALLENGES
Here’s a similar sentiment: It’s bad to let people have money the federal government says it is owed.
An increasingly consistent Republican position:
— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) August 8, 2022
Americans can have a little cheating on their taxes, as a treat. https://t.co/6nhDKf7Blp
I agree that people should pay the money they owe. I also agree nobody should lie or cheat. But I also think it’s worth noting that collecting taxes harms families and workers.
America's taxpayers work hard, and they bring home a paycheck. That paycheck goes to buying groceries, paying for doctors’ visits, buying books, putting children in Little League, and taking a week of vacation in the summer. When people have to pay taxes, they have less money to do all of those things, and their quality of life goes down.
The government harms people by taking money from them — an aspect of tax collection that doesn’t get much coverage.
Thankfully this week has seen an explosion in coverage of this fact: Our government harms its own people by taking money from those people.
Here’s an NBC News story on the “terrifying” harms of Uncle Sam collecting money that residents owe:
Student loan payments restart today, forcing borrowers to take on more debt and put off saving for retirement. https://t.co/phJ9EfVAAi
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 1, 2023
CNBC notes that those who have to pay the government the money they owe will have less money to spend on other things, which could harm parts of the economy.
The pandemic-era pause on federal student loan payments ends Sunday, leaving as many as
— Wall Street Silver (@WallStreetSilv) October 1, 2023
40 million Americans on the hook for a new monthly bill they haven’t needed to make in more than three year's
????????????
Discretionary income is about to take a hit as many people have to… pic.twitter.com/ec3TqAKFbv
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
I will note, however, that if it ever made sense for the government to collect more of the money it is owed (that is, to suck money out of the economy), a time of high inflation is the right time.
When the government takes your money, it is harming you. It's good that this is now being widely acknowledged.