California Tax Gimmick is Theft
So it might be the cynic in me or call me crazy for not trusting the government, but I cannot believe that there was not more attention paid to the state’s latest accounting gimmick to save the state’s budget.
Starting Sunday you may notice a few less dollars in each paycheck, 10 percent less to be specific. While the state says that the money will be returned in April, something does not sit right with me when the government helps itself to even more of my paycheck especially when so many people are already living paycheck to paycheck.
The state is basically taking an interest free loan at all of our expenses with the intent of paying the money back after taxes are collected. This gimmick will supposedly generate an extra $1.7 billion for the state, but it comes at the cost of the invasion into the bank account of every single tax payer in the state. Rather than taking 10 percent from my paycheck, I would rather see them taking 20 percent from the individuals who have been on unemployment for over six months. Or even better get spending under control and stop wasting money so that they do not have to borrow (steal) money from taxpayers.
This raises the larger issue though of how we can just let our government take our money from us. I realize that the state already does this each paycheck through automatic deductions, but there is something different about passing legislation to take such a significant proportion to help the state make it through tough times. Sure the state is saying this time that they will pay us back in full in April, but what if they are issuing IOUs again around that time? Or what if next time the state just decides that the money will be put to better use if they just hang onto and decide to not return it all? If they can pass legislation to take the money, they can certainly pass legislation to keep it if times continue to be tough.
There is not too much we can do at this point to stop the extra 10 percent from being taken out of our checks. It is just disappointing that this provision was not made more public during the summer when negotiations were taking place because I can guarantee there would have been more of an uproar. The Republicans in the legislature are supposed to be there to prevent the government from taking too much control of the people’s lives, but this was a pretty big misstep because my paycheck is the last thing I want the government to have more control over.
So as the economy continues to limp to recovery, the government reaches deeper into the paychecks of taxpayers just as we all need those extra few dollars with the holidays approaching. That extra 10 percent is definitely going to affect a lot people’s spending over the next few months, but the government knows what’s best for the people, they are looking out for us, they would never do anything without the public’s best interest at heart…somehow I do not think hoping for the best will be the solution much longer.
Remember The Slogan Power To The People?
Hear is what I am going to do. You can follow or not. I don’t care.
As many of you may know the State of California will steal an addition 10% of income as a with holding for Income Taxes and say they will return it to you when you file your Taxes.
Do you trust the State of Kalifornia, home of the IOU? PaLOUSY, Boxer, Waxman, Maxine Waters, Turn Coat Gov. Arnold and many others who could be named.
Remember also that Goldman Sachs, The Banks and even the entire Wall Street Establishment could not get Obama and the Democrats elected fast even with the Democrats getting the majority of the blame for killing our Banks. Crashing them 35 days before an election and throwing the entire world into economic choes with Schemes through Freddy and Fanny consisting of mandates to Banks like The Consumer Re-Development Act by Barney Frank and Chris Dodd.
So I will not make any additional Real Estate Payments starting December 1st
until I am payed by the State of Kalifornia. Should the U.S. Congress increase
my Taxes for any reason including a Non-Constitutional Marxist Health Care I
will continue to with hold any Real Estate Payments to the Banks who wanted this Washington DC we have now.
When the banks call I will make it clear that their Contribution Dollars mattered
To the DNC and I have no more to steal. If they want my Real Estate. They can have it and I will start over when common sense in this Country prevails.
There is no more left to steal and I would rather do Biz. with Al Capone then
The current people running the USA.
I gave folks a solution being to with hold your taxes all together in an escrow account and people sniveled like little Girls. The US Government can’t throw thirty million Americans in jail for not filing to the IRS and demanding this Government work with in the bounds of the Constitution. So if you will not go after the Government. Consider a penalty onto the Banks and Wall Street who put these clowns into Office.
Are you sick of paying for other peoples BS so some thieves in our Government can buy votes with your money and you who flip the bill do not even get a simple Thank You?
How is it a large population can even think they are entitled to your earned dollars in a check from the Government as if it were their payroll? These people ( I want some Obama Money) really think I owe them? I don’t owe them ****.
“…there is something different about passing legislation to take such a significant proportion to help the state make it through tough times.”
There is no difference. As the old joke goes: we have already determined the lady’s profession, now we are haggling over price. The individuals in government (and no doubt a fair percentage of all people) already believe there is a moral claim to be had on the labor and property of another. No maximum has ever been established, which would be problematic with “progressive” tax rates and an ever-increasing money supply. It is not an exaggeration that inflation has destroyed 95% of the dollar’s value. As long as we go along with pick-pocketing of this type, there can be no definitive answer to the question, how much is too much? While I like tax advocates such as HJTA, even they have no answer for this question. There can be no answer. If I am entitled to a portion of your income based upon my needs, then I am entitled to a larger portion when my needs increase. The resentment that each of us feels is well captured, if not eloquently, in Dan’s comment above.
As to the notion that the GOP is the stalwart of small government and protector of liberty, I would ask you to point to one in California who questions the moral legitimacy of the income tax. You will find none.
Californians long ago accepted the yoke of servitude, but it need not be that way forever. There are things to be done. As the Times article suggested, we can increase personal withholding deductions.
You can increase your contribution to your 410K, 403b, IRA, etc. This will actually be better for you in the long run, and it will reduce the amount of “revenue” that can be collected by the state. Of course, you will eventually be taxed on withdrawals, but the goal here is to reduce the amount of money “borrowed” by the state in the coming years.
If you have a Health Savings Account, as I do, you can increase your contributions to it, since it is pre-tax money. This will also benefit you in the future.
Any tax-deferred, contributory plan should suffice (like deferred comp, you purple shirts). It will eventually be taxed, but the point is to rob the robbers of any immediate gain.
AE,
You have some great ideas to increase retirement contributions unless those like myself have nothing left to steal.
I would like those doing the looting to tell me where to make the next set of cuts. Should I cut my College age kid off? How about my Middle Sons sports? Maybe my Doughters Cheerleading?
My wife and I do with out hoping that out kids can have some things. At some point you have to draw the line in the sand and man up. Until the Lords in Government have to do with out and have to make cuts themselves then we are TOAST.
I paid $42,000 Dollars in Taxes last year. This would buy a nice car. The car I drive has 140,000 miles on it and there is no budget for a car payment.
There is nothing left to steal. Yet my fellow Americans who work 5.5 Months per year to give to those in Government, though a contribution by threat of prison from the strong arm of the IRS seem happy to work 12 months and be paid for ONLY 6.5. Are you people flipping crazy?
Our Government has proven if a problem is too big they will promote Amnesty. So if 30 million people took max. deductions and did not file their taxes. Do you think the Government would wake up to the fact we may be a little peved? If those willing to pay for a home they are upside down on said we are putting these funds into an escrow type savings account to make the banks work for us to presure the Government so they can get paid. Wall Street, the Banks and the Rouge Government might get the picture?
When this Government takes Health Care they will go after energy next and then this Capitalism experiment is over. You will not have the America you hoped to leave to your kids. You will have an America that will make Carl Marx and Vladimire Lenin proud.
Look at our Government M.O. Education, SSI, GM, Banks, Health Care, Energy and so on. They Regulate it until they Brake it so they can then take it. Do any of you see it now? I know how poor old Ron Paul felt for all those years.
Dave,
What to do in that case? To change our system, we must change the culture. Many, many people are just fine asking for government handouts. This is more than welfare recipients. It includes: Food banks who take tax money, universities and colleges subsidized by tax $, farmers receiving subsidies, and many more.
We need to proselytize. Defend free markets, decentralized government, and individual liberties. Attack central planning, income taxes, and redistribution of wealth. And do not vote for any republican not endorsed by the RLC (Republican Liberty Caucus) http://www.rlc.org