Every year, Tax Day inevitably pops up, and I hear my parents grumbling. In California, many feel they are being overtaxed. As a kid, these taxes seemed like pointless things to stress out our parents, but they actually serve a greater purpose: funding public services. Yet, compared to other first-world countries, we are really behind in providing residents with welfare programs.
In other countries like Finland, with a tax rate of 42.7% in 2022, the US had a 24.3% tax on income. Because of these excessive taxes, Finland can provide universal healthcare and quality education, which has consistently ranked highly among other countries for its citizens, something we often joke about dreaming of in the US. Various services are free for Finnish citizens because of the high taxes, contributing to the country’s renowned standard of living.
While higher taxes can have greater social benefits, it’s also important to ensure that these expenses are being utilized properly. Currently, the US is spending around 13% of its GDP on defense, procuring/developing weapons, providing maintenance, and staffing military personnel. And despite spending the most on the military of any country in the world, Congress wants to continue hiking this rate, contributing to the growing war economy. Increasing spending on defense does little to contribute to social welfare, instead contributing to a military-industrial complex that benefits large corporations.
Ultimately, people must realize that paying higher taxes does not always mean losing money. With free healthcare and education, medical bills and student loans are greatly reduced, shortening the dauntingly long numbers that we are used to.