HomeUploadUpload DirectHotlinkRandomAbouttheme toggle

Stossel: The Great American Tax Ripoff

Views: 891
Tax Day gets a lot of attention, but John Stossel says that attention is misleading, because the April 17th deadline is only for income tax. That's just a fraction of the taxes Americans pay.

----------------

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/reasontv
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Reason.Magaz...
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/reason
Subscribe to our podcast at iTunes: https://goo.gl/az3a7a

Reason is the planet's leading source of news, politics, and culture from a libertarian perspective. Go to reason.com for a point of view you won't get from legacy media and old left-right opinion magazines.

----------------

You probably know about property, payroll, and sales taxes, but there are also lots of hidden taxes. Kristin Tate reports on them in her new book, How Do I Tax Thee? A Field Guide to The Great American Ripoff.

Tate found a hundred hidden taxes—a rifle tax, airplane and hotel taxes, dog license fees, a blueberry tax in Maine, a sliced bagel tax in New York City (whole bagels aren't taxed), and so on.

Our camera followed her as she asked people if they knew about these taxes. Few did.

When people did know about them, like the dog license fee, they assumed it went to cover the public costs of dogs. But, Tate says, "in most cities it doesn't go to dogs. It just goes to the general fund like all of these other fees."

Stossel assumed 911 fees went to maintain the emergency system. But Tate says they usually don't.

"In most states and cities the 911 fees just go to general funds," she said. In Chicago, "they hiked their 911 fee in 2008. The reason for the hike was to fund their Olympic bid."

But when Chicago lost its Olympic bid, the 911 fee hike stayed in place.

"Once they put taxes there, they almost never go away," Stossel suggested.

"Absolutely not. Government only grows," Tate said.

The views expressed in this video are solely those of John Stossel, his independent production company, Stossel Productions, and the people he interviews. The claims and opinions set forth in the video and accompanying text are not necessarily those of Reason.
@ReasonVidsfollow
Thumbnail for U.S. Government to Facebook: 'Americans Don't Like to Be Spied On'0:21
U.S. Government to Facebook: 'Americans Don't Like to Be Spied On'
ReasonVids
854 views
Thumbnail for 3 Reasons Mitt Romney and Republicans Lost Big in Election 20122:31
3 Reasons Mitt Romney and Republicans Lost Big in Election 2012
ReasonVids
891 views
Thumbnail for dogs: diversity3:55
dogs: diversity
drspastic
1326 views
Thumbnail for What Will the End of the Drug War Mean for Addicts? Look to Oregon.11:51
What Will the End of the Drug War Mean for Addicts? Look to Oregon.
ReasonVids
929 views
Thumbnail for DNC day two recap.3:26
DNC day two recap.
ReasonVids
890 views
Thumbnail for Border Runners 3 The Embrownening18:33
Border Runners 3 The Embrownening
murdochmurdoch
1263 views
Thumbnail for Stossel: Why Some Capitalists Are the Worst Enemies of Capitalism6:07
Stossel: Why Some Capitalists Are the Worst Enemies of Capitalism
ReasonVids
942 views
Thumbnail for Texas Is a Model for a More-Libertarian, More Diverse America: Avik Roy12:20
Texas Is a Model for a More-Libertarian, More Diverse America: Avik Roy
ReasonVids
959 views
Thumbnail for Food Truck Owners Fight for Right to Compete in Carolina Beach1:47
Food Truck Owners Fight for Right to Compete in Carolina Beach
IJvids
789 views
Thumbnail for Learn to Laugh at Online Dating | Live From The Lair11:36
Learn to Laugh at Online Dating | Live From The Lair
Terrence Popp
678 views
Thumbnail for Don't Talk to the Police | Regent University School of Law46:39
Don't Talk to the Police | Regent University School of Law
invidious
143 views
Thumbnail for Adolf Hitler | He's really different from all the others - Klara Hitler about her son | Documentary52:44
Adolf Hitler | He's really different from all the others - Klara Hitler about her son | Documentary
AOUisgay
520 views
Thumbnail for Why Americans Fear the COVID-19 Vaccine8:26
Why Americans Fear the COVID-19 Vaccine
ReasonVids
1088 views
Thumbnail for How Payday Lenders & Check Cashers Help the Poor13:11
How Payday Lenders & Check Cashers Help the Poor
ReasonVids
832 views
Thumbnail for Sen. Ted Cruz: "The Obama economic agenda has exacerbated income inequality"3:15
Sen. Ted Cruz: "The Obama economic agenda has exacerbated income inequality"
ReasonVids
982 views
Thumbnail for Adolf Hitler Speech This Germany Will Not Capitulate By PoliticalHacker3:09
Adolf Hitler Speech This Germany Will Not Capitulate By PoliticalHacker
NachtWaffen
731 views
Thumbnail for Institute for Justice's Law Student Conference4:41
Institute for Justice's Law Student Conference
IJvids
811 views
Thumbnail for Neuralink full send... Elon's brain chips actually work on humans | Fireship4:26
Neuralink full send... Elon's brain chips actually work on humans | Fireship
invidious
280 views
Thumbnail for Granny Telling the "Truth" About The Holohoax2:12
Granny Telling the "Truth" About The Holohoax
bestoftalk.lol
924 views
Thumbnail for We're Spending Too Much on Defense4:26
We're Spending Too Much on Defense
ReasonVids
849 views
Thumbnail for TX Cops Lobby to Ban Man from Exposing Speed Traps (Nanny of the Month, 3-14)1:42
TX Cops Lobby to Ban Man from Exposing Speed Traps (Nanny of the Month, 3-14)
ReasonVids
920 views
Thumbnail for Moral Markets: Paul Zak discusses Oxytocin, Trade, and Human Nature14:17
Moral Markets: Paul Zak discusses Oxytocin, Trade, and Human Nature
ReasonVids
822 views
Thumbnail for Koko the Gorilla has a Message for Gullible People0:37
Koko the Gorilla has a Message for Gullible People
ReasonVids
816 views
Thumbnail for Reason.tv at Slamdance: The Porno-Terror Nexus--How the Patriot Act shut down Insex.com4:26
Reason.tv at Slamdance: The Porno-Terror Nexus--How the Patriot Act shut down Insex.com
ReasonVids
864 views

points

Permalink
Reply
libertarian, reason magazine, reason.com, reason.tv, reasontv, john stossel, tax day, kristin tate
TOS  •  Add Keywords  •  Donate  •   Analytics  •   DMCA  •   Puzzle