David Thomas: “I am sure there will be more conversations today, as there should, about the fact that this is tax freedom day. This is…”

“I am sure there will be more conversations today, as there should, about the fact that this is tax freedom day. This is the day that has been determined that each of us on the average has worked since the first of the year until now to pay our taxes to this country. A typical family of four pays 38.2 percent of their income in taxes. That is for all governments. In Wyoming, and this is the U.S. Census estimate, the median income for families is about $47,000. Federal taxes are about $10,000; local and State taxes are another $5,000 or $6,000, for a total of $16,000 in direct taxes. The estimated cost of Federal regulation for a family is about $6,600. Excess family interest payments caused by Federal borrowing are approximately $2,000 for a total of $24,000 that goes to taxation. So, Mr. President, it is an appropriate day for us to take a look at what we do with taxes. I would like to approach it from just a little different angle. Of course, taxes are dollars, taxes are numbers when we talk about those, but I think also there is a concern that we ought to have that taxes also are related to the size of Government. They are more than money. They have to do with the kind of Government we have. They have to do with the number of Government programs that we expect, and there is a relationship between spending and taxes. Of course, we ought to be willing to pay for the programs that we want. We have not done this. For 40 years, we have not balanced the budget.”