Tax Day Reminds Us That We’re All In This Together
By Carol Hedges
Every year, Tax Day reminds us all how much of a commitment we make to our communities through our taxes. It’s often met with cynicism and scorn, as it’s a reminder that part of what we earn is not ours to spend. It’s an especially tough day for folks who are struggling to make ends meet. And most of us are quite aware that the tax code is upside down, with the wealthiest paying a smaller portion of their income than the rest of us.
Some of us think about what we could have done for our families if we didn’t have to pay taxes. We might regret that we were not able to do more to save for our kids’ education or our own retirement or pay down some debt we incurred. All of that can make us grumpy.
But we shouldn’t just think about what we collectively pay in taxes without considering the things that benefit all of us. That’d be like putting a tank of gas in your car without recognizing all the places you can go, or paying your rent or mortgage without acknowledging that it provides your family a home.
Taxes, though, are different than the things we buy as consumers. Because taxes are about what we can invest in together to help families succeed and to build thriving communities.
At CFI, we are flipping that script and highlighting Tax Day as a reminder of all the amazing things that our tax contributions pay for that benefit our families and our communities. We remind ourselves that our taxes pay for teachers, fire fighters and physicians. We are thankful that we contribute to our roads and bridges, our parks and open spaces, and our reservoirs and damns and sewer systems. We are reassured that our taxes will help victims of fires and floods, help first generation college students afford tuition, and hold wealthy corporations accountable to the rules and regulations that keep our water and land and air safe from exploitation.
Today, we join with people all across the country to declare that we are #ProudtoPay our share to support the public investments that build the thriving communities we all want to live in. At CFI, we spend lots of time analyzing the limitations in our tax code. We know that there are many unfair, unproductive and ineffective tax loopholes that let some people avoid paying their fair share –often it’s the wealthy few and big corporations. We know that our state tax code needs to be modernized as it was built for 25-year old economic conditions dramatically different than they are today.
But on Tax Day, we take a break from thinking about how to improve our tax code to appreciating what we have because we make public investments that benefit us all and help our communities thrive.
If you’ve ever gone to a public school, gotten somewhere safely on a public road, hiked a public trail or gone camping in a state park with your family, relied on first responders in a crisis, took a big refreshing drink of clean water, felt gratitude for military service members, or enjoyed a sunny afternoon in a park, you have our taxes to thank for that.
We invite you to join the effort to acknowledge and celebrate the communities we love, which are made possible because people all across the state and the country pay their taxes. Please take a minute to think about what makes you #ProudtoPay, and share your thoughts on Twitter or Facebook.
And let’s all be proud of building strong communities that support our Colorado way of life.
