While the world’s focus is on Iraq this day, as it well should be, I’d like to focus a bit on taxes in the United States as this month is the time when most people in the U.S. receive their various tax forms showing how many taxes are due. Many use this time to prepare their various forms of documentation proving the amount of taxes they have paid.

Keep in mind that taxes are not only the oppresive, punative income taxes, medicare taxes, and social security taxes — there are literally hundreds and hundreds of other, hidden taxes. For example, did you know that when you pay $1.85 for gas that you’re really paying between 20 and 50 cents per gallon in tax? I paid over $750 in taxes for gas for two vehicles last year. How did you do?

*Note: Different state charge taxes different ways, and some localities charge even more tax, so this calculation is just an estimation.

Said Ogre @ 9:12 am | Permalink   

1. Cool and handy little calculater…

   Comment by BlogCruiser — 1/30/2005 @ 9:16 am

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2. What a cool post!

   Comment by Cao — 1/30/2005 @ 9:35 am

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3. Nice one Ogre, thanks for sharing this…..and ruining my day……HONEY! Hitch up the horses……

   Comment by Richard Nixon — 1/30/2005 @ 11:56 am

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4. Random comments: As a liberal, I am perhaps more tolerant of taxes. By the calculator, I am spending $217 a year to pay for the use of roads. Add in the tolls that I pay on various roads and the amount goes up. However, when I think of how much it costs to have my driveway paved, that doesn’t seem all that bad. As a matter of fact, having good roads is worth more than that to me.

   Of course some of the reason my cost is only $217/year, even though I live in one of the states with the highest gas taxes is that I drive a hybrid that gets around 50 miles per gallon.

   On the one hand, I would love to see gas taxes go up. Raise more money for better roads, discourage people from driving very inefficent vehicles.

   However, I also recognize that gas taxes are one of the less fair taxes. It hurts people who can least afford to pay the taxes and poor people have a much greater percentage of their income eaten up by gas taxes than rich people do.

   So, while we may not agree on the best way to pay for government built roads, I think the calculator has the potential to create a great discussion about how much we should be spending on our roads.

   Comment by Aldon Hynes — 1/30/2005 @ 12:29 pm

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5. Cool tool, I agree with Nixon, I gotta find some horses.

   Comment by The Mad Tech — 1/30/2005 @ 1:11 pm

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6. One of the biggest problems with gas taxes, at least here in North Carolina, is that they are NOT used to actually build roads. Every single year the legislature votes to move tens of millions of dollars away from the “Highway Trust Fund” and into the General fund.

   I’m not sure it’s possible to track that funding when going through the feds, because they’ve get 18.5 cents per gallon, too. I’d bet that goes to the general fund, too.

   I’d also like to see the taxes displayed as taxes, and not hidden. If I opened a gas station, I’d post at the road $1.45 for gas, and then when it was pumped, I’d add the other 42.8 cents per gallon so people could honestly SEE the taxes being paid.

   Comment by Ogre — 1/30/2005 @ 1:44 pm

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7. hehehe it’s the Fairtax, my friend. That’s what you’re talkin’ about.

   Comment by Cao — 1/30/2005 @ 1:54 pm

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