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Sunday, September 24, 2006A Modest Proposal: Voluntary TaxationBy now, I'm sure most folks have heard of Bill Cosby's call to arms for each American to donate US$8.00 to the National Slavery Museum in Fredericksburg: To get things rolling, Cosby asked each American to donate $8. Cosby has already pledged $1 million to the museum, scheduled to open on land in Celebrate Virginia in 2008.Now I've always made the argument (facetiously at times) that if we wanted to pay for more bureaucracy, why not simply donate your money to the government? Spotsylvania County has just such a fund, and the "Tax Me More" fund hasn't been all that productive. Lesson? Spotsylvanians don't want their taxes raised. All this having been said, on your Virginia State Tax Form there is always the option of "donating" your refund to specific organizations. Virginia Democrats, Virginia Republicans, etc. Our modest proposal? Why not start including a variety of charitable causes the Commonwealth of Virginia currently funds and list them on your tax form? $8 to the National Slavery Museum? Why not -- your refund is typically a pittance (my tax return was only $75 or so). Who wouldn't want to take their tax return and spend it on the charitable items they see fit? For those who can't afford the charity, get your refund back. For those who can, donte the money you didn't know you had. Such a system would be typical of the "direct democracy" experiments of dozens of referenda you see out in the Western United States. The National Slavery Museum is a perfect example of a charity that would benefit from the extra shot-in-the-arm for specific projects. This solves such problems as your tax dollars going to charities you don't deem to be worthwhile, allowing bad charities who survive through government grants to atrophy, and good charities dynamic enough to survive without the hand of government to get an extra boost. A modest proposal, for your consideration.
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JEFFERSONIAD POLL: Whom do you support for Virginia Attorney General?1) John Brownlee2) Ken Cuccinelli AboutShaunKenney.com is one of Virginia's oldest political blogs, focusing on the role of religion and politics in public life. Shaun Kenney, 30, lives in Fluvanna County, Virginia.ContactThe Jeffersoniad
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