Target: Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of U.S. House of Representatives
Goal: Help lessen tax share gap between high-income and lower-income Americans.
Tax Day typically brings about renewed debate about America’s system of taxation. Recent surveys have revealed a majority of Americans believe that they unfairly devote a greater share of their earnings to taxes than the richest citizens. And history hasn’t exactly proven them wrong. Reports and documents have revealed that the people with the highest net worth in the nation paid not a cent of income tax for many years. For dozens of the largest corporations, the tax story was much the same. According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the disparity in local and state taxes is even worse, with middle and lower-income Americans paying a 54 percent higher share than the wealthy. In some states, this disparity is as much as six times greater.
A proposal in Congress could begin to chip away at this imbalance. It would provide more financial support to the badly backlogged Internal Revenue Service (IRS) so that it can better enforce current policies. The investment would focus on enforcement of tax codes for corporations and high earners of more than $400,000. Predictably, however, certain politicians are opposing this move.
Sign the petition below to demand lawmakers support a tax system more guided by fairness and impartiality.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Speaker McCarthy,
From the fair tax proposal to California’s Office of Tax Appeals to a complete overhaul of America’s tax system, the myriad responses to perceived inequities in taxation signal a deep and festering problem. Bombshell disclosures concerning the lack of taxes paid by wealthy individuals and corporations as well as troubling stats about the large state and local tax burden heaped on families of moderate or low income only compound these resentments and worries. Most Americans consistently signal a willingness and an obligation to pay taxes, but they also stress that everyone should pay their fair share.
The proposed 80 billion dollars of support for IRS enforcement and potential reform would go a long way in beginning to address and acknowledge concerns. If you truly care about fair taxes for all Americans, as you claimed when your party passed a massive tax bill a few years ago, then you will not stand in the way of this effort. Support this investment, and support a fairer and more impartial tax system.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Nataliya Vaitkevich
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