Joel Hefley: “Americans love to celebrate landmarks and anniversaries: Christmas day, Independence Day, New Year's Day. But yesterday…”

“Americans love to celebrate landmarks and anniversaries: Christmas day, Independence Day, New Year's Day. But yesterday was one of my personal favorites, Tax Freedom Day. That is the day when hard-working Americans have finally paid their tax burdens and can begin earning for themselves and their families. This chart illustrates when that day is over the years. I invite Members to use this opportunity to reflect on the problems with our current tax system. First, it is cumbersome. Our Tax Code exceeds 2.8 million words, more than War and Peace and the Bible combined. It is unfair. It discriminates against married couples, the elderly, even the dead. It is discouraging. It punishes investing and saving and steals profits from healthy businesses and confuses a large majority of Americans trying to decipher its complicated forms. Today, I encourage my colleagues to support reform and tax reduction measures that will truly provide tax freedom for hard-working Americans.”