(Washington, DC) -- With Congress set to raise trillions of dollars in revenue through taxes on equity firms, income, capital gains, and families, the 362,000-member National Taxpayers Union (NTU) urged elected officials to continue on the course of economic prosperity by reducing government growth and reforming America's broken entitlement system. Today the non-partisan citizen group joined with Americans for Tax Reform and other taxpayer advocates to commiserate over the annual Cost of Government Day.
"Over the July 4th holiday, taxpayers should have been celebrating with fireworks and BBQ, not straining under onerous taxes and new regulations," said NTU President John Berthoud. "Cost of Government Day is the date when the average American worker has earned enough to pay off his or her share of the government burden on the federal, state, and local levels. Today, we are calling on Congress to enact common sense reform to the spending process and return to the days of balanced budgets and low taxes."
"It is a shame that in 2007 workers must toil close to 200 days working for the government, and not for themselves," added Berthoud. "Federal revenues have increased 28 percent over the last six years, and though some politicians complain about a scarcity of money, American taxpayers are all too familiar with coughing up cash for Congress."
Federal spending has been the problem of late for taxpayers, because even though revenues may be flooding into D.C. at high rates over the last six years, outlays have increased faster -- by 49 percent. NTU has urged Congress to enact reasonable limits on expenditure growth, reform entitlement programs, and make the tax cuts permanent.
"Just six short years ago Cost of Government Day was on July 6th," noted Berthoud. "As Congress continues to grow the federal budget and looming liabilities, taxpayers' wallets will continue to shrink."
"Congress needs to refocus its efforts on making the tax cuts permanent and enacting immediate reform to our nation's entitlement programs," concluded Berthoud. "While they're at it, politicians might want to cut the pork from their fiscal diets and give taxpayers a few more days of freedom in 2008."
National Taxpayers Union was founded in 1969 to work for lower taxes, limited government, and accountability from elected officials at all levels. Further information is available online at www.ntu.org.