Hidden Taxes Cost You $2,462
According to the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, local, state and
federal governments are walloping taxpayers with billions of dollars in
"hidden taxes." "Hidden taxes" are defined as taxes that aren't explicitly
clear to the person who pays them. They add significantly to the total tax
burden, but not in a manner that most people can easily keep track of. Thus
hidden taxes keep citizens unaware of the true cost of government - and
less able to make informed choices about the role of government in their
lives.
Examples of hidden taxes: telephone taxes, import taxes, utility taxes,
travel taxes (including taxes on rental cars, hotels, plane tickets and the
like), licensing, insurance premium taxes, gasoline taxes, and the
so-called "employer's share" of Social Security and Medicare taxes (which
are really paid by the employee).
The total amount of these furtive taxes came to $657.5 billion dollars, or
$2,462 per American - a jump of over $20 billion from last year.
That's about 30% of the total tax burden - hidden from the eyes of most
taxpayers.
One form of hidden tax the NTUF study did *not* include: the cost of
complying with government regulations and mandates. That figure is
estimated at between $500 billion and $1 trillion or more.
(Source: "Capitol Ideas," NTUF newsletter)
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