Cost of Government Day (COGD)
[2005] [2004] [2003] [2002] [2001]

Title: ATR: Taxpayers Didn't Get Break Until July 11

Date: July 14, 2003

Source: David Brody, Family News in Focus

Words: 379

Body:

Last Friday was the day you started earning money for yourself and your family.

Americans for Tax Reform has calculated that if one figures all the costs of government, Americans had to work more than half the year — until last Thursday — to pay taxes.

It took the average American 193 days to earn enough money to pay for the spending and regulatory burdens imposed by federal, state and local governments. Fiscal conservatives say though tax relief has been helpful, the other half of the equation is reining in spending.

"There is now another challenge in front of us as activists, and that is to create the conditions that make it possible for elected officials to say not only 'no' to tax increases but 'no' to the spending interests," said Grover Norquist, head of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR).

A lot of spending goes to education, Social Security and Medicare. But what about other lower priority programs? Brian Riedl, an analyst at The Heritage Foundation, said you have to draw a line somewhere.

"The government has to set priorities," Riedl said. "If we throw money at every program under the sun, we're going to have to raise taxes through the roof."

Who's to blame at the federal level for rising spending levels? Norquist said it's not the president.

"The House and the Senate bear the primary responsibility as the guys who spend money," Norquist said. "It is very difficult for a president to take a look at a great big bill and veto it because of the 10 percent of overspending."

For instance, lawmakers have added $47 billion in "pork" — spending programs to please special interests — to appropriation bills for 2003.

According to ATR, state government spending is worse than what goes on in Washington.

This year's Cost of Government Day fell 4.5 days later than it did in 2002 — meaning by ATR's calculations, it takes taxpayers 4.5 days more to earn enough money to pay all their taxes.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
To find out more about "Cost of Government Day," see the Americans for Tax Reform Web site.

(NOTE: Referrals to Web sites not produced by Focus on the Family are for informational purposes and do not necessarily imply an endorsement of their contents by Focus on the Family.)

-30-