Tony Phyrillas: Working 6 months to pay the government

Cost of Government Day - n. the date of the calendar year, counting from January 1, on which the average American has earned enough in cumulative gross income to pay for his or her share of government spending (total federal, state, and local) plus the cost of regulation.

-- Americans For Tax Reform Web site

Working hard this summer? Would it surprise you to learn that you've toiled for at least six months this year to pay for government?

The Cost of Government Day came and went on July 11, 2007. That's how many days the typical American worker had to work to pay off his or her tax debt. It was two more days than you had to work in 2006 to pay off your debts to government at local, county, state and national levels.

It's not tax hikes that pushed the day back this year. The Democrats in Congress haven't been able to pass their planned tax hikes yet. And Pennsylvania politicians are boasting they approved a $27.2 billion general fund budget without tax increases. (That doesn't include toll hikes on roads or other government fees, not to mention government borrowing, which is a hidden tax).

The reason you have to work two days more this year to pay your share of government is the high levels of spending by the federal government, according to Americans For Tax Reform (ATR), which releases its annual Cost of Government Day report.

You can read the full report at http://www.atr.org/national/cogd/index.html

"Right now, taxpayers are under attack from Congress," said Grover Norquist, president of Americans For Tax Reform. "With tax increases on everything from cigarettes to private equity on the table, this year's Cost of Government Day must spur politicians into action to protect taxpayers and the economic growth achieved under President Bush's tax cuts."

Americans for Tax Reform is a non-partisan coalition of taxpayers and taxpayer groups who oppose any and all federal and state tax increases.

With Congress in control of the Democrats and the prospect of a Democratic president next year, hold on to your wallets. Remember the recession Jimmy Carter led us into? How about the Clinton/Gore recession after the last Democratic administration?

A couple of other notes for Pennsylvania residents from Americans For Tax Reform.

The average Pennsylvania taxpayer had to work 189 days, or until July 8, 2007, to pay off his or her share of government spending this year, according to ATR.

Also, taxes in Pennsylvania have increased by a cumulative $1,030,600,000 from Fiscal Year 2002 to FY 2009.

Remember that next time Gov. Ed Rendell or members of the Legislature do one of their song-and-dance routines about cutting taxes.

Taxes have risen every year Rendell has been in office. Enjoy the rest of the year. You can actually keep the money in your paycheck.

Tony Phyrillas

Tony Phyrillas is a columnist for The Mercury in Pottstown, Pa. He received a first place award for Best Opinion Column in 2007 by Suburban Newspapers of America. He was also honored for column writing in 2006 by the Society of Professional Journalists.

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