During the 2008 presidential election, there were several touchy subjects, but taxes seemed to be the proverbial third rail for the public. Citizens who were already in debt over their heads didn’t want to see tax increases. These same people, however, not only expected changes, but also improvements. These advances in government on all levels require a certain amount of funding, but most of the money goes right back to the citizens, improving the quality of their country, state, county, and community. We can help fund a new America with a small general tax increase across the board. One demographic shouldn’t have to suffer and carry the burden heavier than other groups.

By imposing taxes on specific items, the consumers of those products suffer without just cause. The taxes on cigarette packs these days are astronomical and blown out of proportion. If one specific set of people has to bear the burden of the taxes, then the taxes are no longer just. In June of 2008, New York’s cigarette tax became the highest in the nation. At this time the state taxes were increased by $1.25 to bring it to a grand total of $2.75. With a state average of $5.82 per pack, this brings the tax to roughly forty-seven percent. What would happen if we put such a tax on things that only specific people buy such as tampons or aftershave? Following this same line of thought, we should tax all harmful products in the same manner, from alcohol to foods with trans fats.

Our country came into existence because of taxes. Taxes have potential volatile effects on the general public. Our founding fathers rioted and started a revolution fueled on unjust taxes. Without adequate representation, specific groups shouldn’t have to bear the tax burden, it’s unconstitutional. Should smokers or members of communities with higher taxes have more of a say in the government because they are forced to pay more taxes? This then undermines the very concept of democracy. The taxes should be spread out evenly, that way no specific group is overextended.

With President Obama’s administration, our country has seen some slight tax increases to compensate for the whole corporate greed and bad fiscal management by the financial sector. Starting with the 2001 fiscal year, President Bush instated widespread tax cuts for upper class citizens (he conveniently fell into that bracket). Due to these tax cuts, the government has lost out on almost half a trillion dollars ($ 477 billion) in revenue from just the top one percent of the population found a study by Citizens for Tax Justice. By 2010, an astounding 52% of all tax breaks will go to the richest one percent of the general population. During 2010 alone each family that falls into that category will be saving approximately $85,000. As middle class suburbia we are ineligible for such breaks, and as a result, carry the heaviest tax burden. At the end of Bush’s atrocious tax cuts, we will have lost so much money that could have been funneled into various arenas that are currently lacking funding such as education and healthcare.

We may all sit back and complain about the current conditions of America, but if we are unwilling to pay the price, we do not deserve to have a voice. We must support our government, and even if we do not always agree with the policies, the general consensus is that we expect a lot from the government, and without taxes, nothing can be accomplished. We must sacrifice a little to receive the true benefits of democracy. As I write this there are currently 308,170,290 people living in the United States. If each household was taxed just one extra dollar per person, so much good could be done. If we want widespread improvements, we need universal participation.