Ron Paul Statement on Tax Freedom Day

“My ultimate goal remains to repeal the 16th Amendment and end the tyranny of the IRS once and for all.” – Ron Paul

LAKE JACKSON, Texas – Texas Congressman and Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul issued the following statement regarding today being Tax Freedom Day, the day when average Americans finally stop working to pay federal, state, and local taxes.

Below please find comments from Congressman Paul:

“Knowing that every penny the average American has earned from January 1st until today has gone to pay federal, state, or local taxes is a frightening reminder of how much liberty modern Americans have lost.  Unfortunately, even after Tax Freedom Day, Americans will still suffer from the Federal Reserve’s regressive and hidden inflation tax, which erodes their purchasing power for the benefit of big banks and big-spending politicians.

“As a Congressman, I have never voted to raise taxes or increase spending, which is why I have consistently been named one of the top ‘Taxpayers’ Best Friends’ in Congress by the non-partisan National Taxpayers Union.  As President, I will work to reduce the burden of taxes and spending on the American people by passing my ‘Plan to Restore America.’

“This Plan not only cuts $1 trillion in the first year of my administration and balances the budget by the third year, but it provides much-needed tax relief to the American people.  It does this by permanently extending the Bush-era tax rates, lowering the corporate tax rate to 15 percent, allowing American companies to repatriate capital without paying additional taxes, abolishing the death tax, and ending all taxes on personal savings.

“My ‘Plan to Restore America’ also begins to free the American people from the inflation tax by conducting a full audit of the Federal Reserve and legalizing competing currencies.  These simple steps will allow the American people to at last learn the truth about how the Fed is working to prop up big banks at the expense of average Americans’ standard of living and then to take the appropriate actions to protect themselves and their families.

“My ultimate goal remains to repeal the 16th Amendment and end the tyranny of the IRS once and for all.  Of the four men seeking the presidential nomination of one of the major parties – President Obama, Governor Romney, Speaker Gingrich, and myself – I am the only one who has consistently opposed increases in taxes and spending.  I am also the only one who has consistently fought the Federal Reserve’s assault on the middle class’ standard of living.  My campaign to Restore America Now is the clear choice for any American concerned about rolling back taxes, cutting spending, and curbing inflation.”

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus Tax Day Statement

WASHINGTON - The Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus released the following Tax Day statement:

"President Obama and his fellow Democrats have been terrible stewards of Americans' hard-earned tax dollars, and Tax Day serves as a painful reminder of their fiscal recklessness," said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus.

"After promising to cut the deficit in half by the end of his term, President Obama ran trillion dollar deficits and racked up more debt than any president in history. Even as families are making tough decisions and tightening their belts, President Obama sees no need to make government live within its means. Instead, he demands higher taxes and more borrowed money to squander on failed companies like Solyndra and outrageous government excess like the General Services Administration party in Las Vegas.

"President Obama has already raised taxes under ObamaCare, and in a second term, he would raise them again to pay for even more of his out-of-control spending. His tax hike fever is so great that this week he proposed the gimmicky Buffett Tax which would barely put a dent in the deficit reduction and not help a single American get a job.

"Even if the president does nothing, taxes will automatically increase by hundreds of billions of dollars starting in 2013. This Tax Day was distressing enough for struggling families. Next year's would be unthinkable.

"President Obama has already mortgaged our children's future and imperiled our economy with his tax-and-spend agenda. We cannot afford another four years of it."

LP CHAIR: "Violence is No Way For Civilized People to Get Their Revenue"

WASHINGTON -- In light of tomorrow's personal income tax filing deadline, Libertarian National Chair, Mark Hinkle, released the following statement:

"While everyone needs revenue, only criminals and politicians insist that they have to get it through violence.  The criminals, however, do not pretend they're doing it in order to serve the public, and taxes make politicians public masters rather than public servants.

"Certainly, the present size of government at all levels depends on taxation - not only the explicit kind, but the invisible kind that the Federal Reserve System imposes through inflation of the money supply.  People probably wouldn't voluntarily pay to bomb, invade, and occupy other countries, bail out large banks and other corporations, and try to dictate the personal choices of others.  Good riddance!  Government-monopolized services such as education and health care could be provided for less than half the cost if they could be returned to the voluntary sector of society with cost-raising regulations abolished and incentives restored.  Both mutual aid groups and charitable donations filled gaps prior to the rise of the Welfare State for those in need with an efficiency that is impossible when those in charge of aid get more money and power for themselves the worse the job they perform.  We'll have to take some personal responsibility for our own lives and stop using the excuse Ebenezer Scrooge made that his taxes supported institutions for the poor so he could ignore them.

"It is obscene for those claiming to protect life, liberty, and property to obtain their revenue by violating life, liberty, and property.  There are plenty of ways to obtain revenue without force: insurance, user fees, advertising, lotteries, and donations are already used by many local and state governments for a good portion of their revenue.  Let them be true public servants and live within the means that these sources provide.  People might even pay more voluntarily once they're no longer forced to turn over 1/3 to 1/2 of their wealth to governments.

"Ultimately, it is about the type of society we want to have.  We can accomplish a lot voluntarily when we mutually respect each other's lives and property.  It begins by respecting the right of people to keep the fruits of their labor.  A good start would be the abolition of the personal income tax, which only adds insult to the injury of theft by invading every part of the taxpayer's privacy as well as making the second week of April a misery instead of a time to enjoy the early spring."

How Could I Live without Filing Taxes?

Tired of filing taxes? Take a break, executive Director Carla Howell's spoof on taxes has been played on dozens of radio stations nationwide. Enjoy!

Source: e-letter from the Libertarian Party.

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus Statement on the Buffett Tax Vote

WASHINGTON - The Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus released the following statement after the Buffett Tax failed in the U.S. Senate:

"Today's vote on the Buffett Tax is another in a long line of rejections of Barack Obama's politically driven economic policies. Instead of focusing on big things to fix our economy, he's focusing on the small things--cynical political gimmicks that divide the country--exactly the thing he derided when he ran for president in 2008," said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus.

"At a time of record high unemployment, the Buffett Tax won't create a single job. It doesn't address our spending problem. And, it won't help the nearly 13 million who are unemployed or middle class families who are suffering in the Obama economy. It was a political ploy, plain and simple.

"Voters are sick of the president's class warfare and division. They are yearning for a leader who will tackle the enormous challenges we face, focus on getting Americans back to work, and help families who are struggling as a result of the Obama economy."