The smart folks at Community Coalition in Los Angeles have been running a great campaign thanking folks for paying taxes that fund things we need as a society, like schools and clean drinking water.
On Tax Day, it’s good to be reminded that taxes aren’t an affliction, and they don’t require relief. They pay for our highways, and our children’s schools. They paid for the R&D that made the Internet possible, and they pay for our grandparents’ Medicare. They’re the cornerstone of our shared prosperity, and the lifeblood of the commonwealth.
We can (and we certainly will) fight over who pays how much, but we should never concede that taxes are anything less than vital for our society and fundamental to the public good.
Now, isn’t that better than grumbling about the IRS?
UPDATE: I see my LightBox Collaborative colleague Holly Minch and I are seeing eye to eye. More great examples of nonprofits making the case for taxes as a good thing at the link.
