You Should Get A Receipt

In a report from a think tank called Third Way, the group argues that taxpayers should get a receipt in order to clearly understand what they're paying for.  The sample receipt includes both income and Social Security/Medicare taxes and how much of your money goes where.

Image from National Public Radio (npr.org)

A recent article about the so-called "Tea Party" groups included a conclusion that tea partiers are opposed to government spending - except for the money spent on them.   Perhaps that's at least partly because most Americans have no idea where their tax payments go.  A receipt might help; it certainly wouldn't hurt.  As the Third Way points out, it doesn't require complicated math and would be pretty easy for the IRS to implement on its web site.  

It's a great idea that will never happen. An educated electorate is every politician's nightmare.

The report can be found here.