Everyone should pay SOME federal income tax

Instapundit's Glenn Reynolds has latched onto the idea that everyone, regardless of income, should pay some federal income tax. (Go there and scroll away.). I couldn't agree more. It's not that imposing a minimum tax of, say, $100.00, would raise much revenue. Rather, imposing a minimum tax would promote good civic values.

People are often heard to say, "freedom isn't free." In fact, for a great many Americans, living in a free country, with virtually unconstrained opportunities for personal achievement, is free. They pay no taxes, enjoy extensive public benefits, and would never dream of enlisting in the armed services. While I'm not in favor of the draft and I'm not advocating the dismantling of the social "safety net," I see no reason not to require everyone to pay at least a minimum tax.

Allowing a sizeable portion of the population to avoid paying any income tax creates two classes of citizens: those who help pay for national security and other government services and those who do not. This can only lead to resentment among the former group and a sense of entitlement among the latter.

Joe Biden provoked a mild uproar in recent days arguing that upper-income taxpayers should consider it their patriotic duty to pay more taxes. However, if paying taxes constitutes an expression of patriotism, then the people at the upper end of the income scale must feel like every day is the Fourth of July. They're the ones paying all the taxes. This is, in fact, what bothers me the most about Biden's comments. It's not that he associates paying taxes with civil responsibility, it's that he apparently doesn't think the bottom third of taxpayers share in that responsibility.