Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Year : 2, Issue: 33
by Nicole Russell
Happy tax day, my fellow Americans. You’re being robbed.
I remember the first time I saw my pay stub after I started making a modest income. The amount of money I paid the federal government in taxes sent me into a blind rage.
Texas billionaire and “Shark Tank” investor Mark Cuban shared on social media last year that he owed the IRS about $2.76 million in taxes, saying he was proud to pay such a high amount in taxes because America had done so much for him.
Cuban is a sharp guy, and I’ve learned a lot when I’ve interviewed him in the past, but I disagree with his perspective on taxes. It’s not patriotic to overpay our federal government, then watch as our elected leaders and unelected bureaucrats waste our money on inefficient, wasteful programs.
President Donald Trump is trying to fix our overly complicated and expensive tax system with his “big, beautiful bill,” which includes plans to eliminate taxes on overtime and Social Security benefits.
Americans say they are taxed too much
In 2024, a University of Chicago Harris/AP-NORC poll found that only about 4 in 10 of Americans believe their federal income taxes are fair. More than 60% think their tax burden is too high.
Two-thirds of poll participants also said they lack confidence that the federal government spends their money wisely. They’re right.
Contrary to popular belief, Americans with the highest incomes aren’t skipping out on their taxes. In 2022, the top 1% of earners paid more than 40% of federal income taxes.
But it’s not just the wealthy who carry a heavy tax burden. Middle-class Americans who own small businesses pay out about 20% of their revenue in federal incomes taxes. Other federal, state and local taxes are piled on top of that.
And what do we as taxpayers have to show for all this money that flows out of our bank accounts and into the federal treasury?
It’s clear that the federal government has wasted not billions but trillions of dollars. Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, continues to aim to expose and eliminate waste. It’s an essential project because, even after all that we pay in taxes, the federal government has piled up extraordinary deficits in recent years, leading to a national debt that now tops $36.7 trillion.
Trump tax bill can bolster the economy
But Trump has promised that relief is coming. On April 10, the House of Representatives passed a multitrillion dollar budget plan that includes tax cuts and reductions in government spending.
Republicans in the House and Senate are still working on final details of the legislation and the process could take months, but the early signs are promising.
A major part of the bill would extend Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Acts. A report from the Council of Economic Advisers found that gross wages and take-home pay for median-income households will increase under the legislation.
Lower taxes and a more efficient government brought to us by DOGE would be a boon for our economy and for everyday Americans.
This tax day on April 15, as you pay your taxes, demand better. Demand a government that is fiscally responsible. Demand a tax code that is simple and fair. Demand that the president and Congress fix our broken system before it is too late.
Author is a columnist at USA TODAY
