It's That Time of Year Again...

The proverbial groan is heard all over the country from every type of American citizen. Yes, that time of year has come again. Taxes are due once more. Most people do not like doing their taxes, but do them because they have to. It is part of our civic duty as US citizens. Taxes are often one of the main issues talked about during elections as well as at the top of the list of grievances about the government that American citizens have. This year was the first year I had to do my taxes; well, sign them really. It was eye-opening about the amount of taxes I and also my parents had to pay. I always knew that my parents had to pay quite a bit of taxes, but I never realized the true extent that my parents paid taxes to the federal government and the state of Illinois. A consensus of average federal income taxes paid  done by the National Priorities Project shows how much on average Americans pay in federal income taxes by each state and how each state wavers either positive or negatively in the amount citizens of those states must pay in taxes compared to the national average.

It often seems like we pay these huge amounts of taxes to the government, both federal and state, but don't really know to where it goes. I was curious to see where the bulk of taxes paid really goes in the government. In an article by CNN, they break down how the average amount of taxes paid by an American citizen is used in different ways by the government. They show that for someone who paid roughly $15,000 in federal income taxes, the government used a slight majority of it on the military, then on health, interest on the debt, unemployment, food and agriculture, education, etc., in descending order of "importance." In the pie chart below, there is a visual of the break down of what the government spends people's taxes on.

It's amazing to see what the government actually spends tax money on, because often it doesn't feel like they use any of it in ways that we can concretely see. This is explained well from the government using the biggest chunk of our tax money on the military, which the majority of us are very separated from, so therefore it makes sense that we often believe, and rightfully so, that the government isn't using our hard earned tax money in correct ways that directly affect us. The military, however, does directly affect us. When polled, most Americans would say they like having the strong and large military that we have, but most also would say that they do not agree with the amount of money, in the billions, that is used to fund the military. People want to have their cake and eat it too, but we really can't. We can't have all of the nice and comfortable and needed amenities such as the fire department and good education without taxes. Everyone wants to have these amenities, but no one really wants to actually have to pay for them.

In most media outlets this week, there is some sort of article discussing taxes being due. Whether it be reporting on ways people seem to get around paying taxes, or how some companies avoid paying taxes which hurts the American people, or just the plain fact that we have to pay our taxes right now, the media is covering this subject right now. The media understands that everyone, from politicians themselves to ordinary citizens have to pay their taxes and want to be able to read about other people feeling the exact same way that they are. Having a connection makes it easier to get through situations. The media benefits from reporting on the subject because they know the timing is right and that the subject is on their minds so therefore the public wants to read about it. The media isn't reporting on taxes because it is anything new or very interesting, but because they want views and ratings and the best way to do that is to report on subjects that the public wants to know about.

On the other hand, one of the main reasons that politicians year in and year out always talk about taxes and what they plan to do about them is because that's what the public wants to hear about. Both the media and the government understand that taxes are always going to be a hot topic to talk about due to its nature. The media and government only really benefit from talking about it to the public. Most politicians have taxes high on their list of priorities because of its extreme importance to the American people. Each different politician in both parties all the time try to come up with different ways to deal with the problem of citizens wanting to not have to pay the type of taxes they do. Both the media and politicians are going to continue to discuss politics because as stated, its what the people want to know about.