I am not a "taxpayer"

Here's a subject I've been thinking about since the election. I haven't done the research, but somewhere in the last few years, we have all become "taxpayers".

You hear it from every side. "We have to be careful with the taxpayers' money." "We paid $700 billion of the taxpayers' money to bail out the banks." "I have to think of the taxpayer when I vote on the xxyyzz bill." "Healthcare will be a disaster for taxpayers." "As a taxpayer, I don't want my money go to for xxyyzz."

Let's think about this term, "taxpayer". There is an implication there. It implies that the taxpayer is a party in a transaction. Like buying coffee from Starbucks. I pay my money, you give me my coffee. If I don't like it, I have the implicit right to complain about it and probably get my money back. The transaction was my money for your specific product.

I have 2 problems with that view of taxes. First, it isn't a transaction. I am not buying something. I am paying my taxes - which is a legal obligation (I have to or I go to jail). The government has the right to impose that tax and I am under an obligation to give it to them. There is no implication that I get something specific back. I am not buying something.

The second problem I have with it is that it means we expect something back. We are owed something as "taxpayers". I paid my taxes so you, the government, owe me something. If I'm not getting what I expect to get, something is wrong with the government.

And then there is the whole individuality of it all. When one talks about taxpayers, he isn't talking about a group of people - a nation, say. He is talking about lots of individuals. Each taxpayer has paid so each taxpayer is due. When I become a "taxpayer", I want my due. I don't care about any group, because I am a "taxpayer". And there is the gist of the problem I have with "taxpayer".

A nation (or a community or a state or whatever) has an obligation to work towards the "common good". For example, I pay my real estate taxes and a large part of that goes to schools. I don't have any kids in school. But I can't complain that I am not getting my due from my taxes (well, I can and people do but I guess that makes them "taxpayers"). A community needs schools. Education of our children is a common good. In order for my community to provide for the common good, it needs to have my taxes. I cannot expect a direct individual benefit.

I am writing this now because of the current health care reform debate. You see, I work for one of those evil health insurance companies. When the debate on healthcare started in Congress, we were "asked" by the CEO of our company to send a very specific message to our congressman (all I had to do was click on a link and this pre-defined message was sent). The idea being that my company might be in jeopardy depending on the direction of the debate. And therefore my very own job would be in jeopardy (so goes the thinking). Individually I could be affected in a negative way. My job could be in jeopardy. My taxes might go up.

But I can't think that way. And I think the people of this nation shouldn't be thinking that way, either. We need to do things for the common good. We need to stop thinking of ourselves as individual "taxpayers" and start thinking like citizens of a country. Sure, it is unpleasant for an individual "taxpayer" to pay his/her taxes. But isn't it reassuring that as citizens we have a strong national defense? Aren't we glad we have the Centers for Disease Control working on the h1n1 swine flu virus? Don't we expect government workers to come to our aid if we are in a hurricane? Shouldn't we feel pride in the work our firefighters do?

And aren't we glad we have a system to pay for healthcare for the elderly after they're done working? What would we do otherwise, as a country? Don't we have an obligation to those who are downtrodden to ensure they don't starve, have a place to live? Don't we want to provide the best education possible for our children?

There are many things our governments (federal, state, local) do that we would not want to live without. Many of them do not benefit us directly. I may never need the FDIC to make good on my bank account. I may never have my house destroyed by a storm. I may never visit a National Park (OK, I have but many have not). But don't we take pride in a country has these things?

We are citizens of the United States. Part of that privilege means we pay taxes. I do not want to be known as a "taxpayer", please. I'd rather be a citizen, with all the sacrifice and honor that goes with that. As a citizen, I want to participate in the common good. So let's all start thinking collectively to what is good for our country, our community. Thinking like a citizen with a responsibility to our fellow citizens. Not thinking like a taxpayer expecting something for ourselves.