“I love paying my taxes.”
Long ago a man working on my well told me this when I was grumbling about my property tax bill. I have been thinking about this ever since. He did not explain.
Why, in heaven’s name? Why spend money without a return? My money will not be missed and governments spend too much anyway.
But look more closely into it. My tax, together with those of all the others, make up the huge amounts needed. If we all pay less, less is available for the tasks that governments have to perform. And these are many, far too many to know about for ordinary persons. Most of them are essential, not just potholes and police but so many others that we are not aware of. Others are more debatable but the political process has decided what is needed.
We, as citizens, are members of communities. Taxes are our contributions to these communities that do what is needed. We should not be too uptight about finding the very least amount of our taxes as we are, fundamentally, paying it to ourselves.
Avoiding to pay taxes means that one is sabotaging the community. This can be done legitimately by changing residency and transferring assets to tax havens. Those that do this are not exemplary citizens that should be rewarded with honorary degrees at universities, as has happened. They are depriving our communities and saddling others almost all less affluent with what they do not pay.
What do we get for our taxes? To name just the largest benefit, take that scrap of paper with some number of it that gives access to family physicians, to medical specialists, to diagnostic procedures and to hospitals without paying a dime.
I love to pay taxes because I am a proud member of the communities I am a member of. I love to pay Federal Taxes because I am a proud Canadian. I love to pay Provincial Taxes because I am a proud Albertan. And I love to pay Property Taxes because I am a proud resident of Rocky View County.
Cornelis van de Panne
Cochrane, AB
