April 15, 2011
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman McDermott (D-WA) reintroduced “The Taxpayer Receipt Act,” which would provide each taxpayer with a comprehensive, itemized list of how their tax dollars are spent each year. The bill’s introduction comes on April 15, a day synonymous with taxes and ingrained in the minds of American taxpayers. The White House announced earlier today that it had created a new webpage where Americans can calculate what portion of their tax dollars go to different priorities, and McDermott’s bill (H.R. 1583) would ensure that this information is available to the American people long into the future.
“Most Americans don’t understand how their tax dollars are spent – a recent poll showed that 60% of Americans think 10-30% of the budget goes to foreign aid, when it's actually less than 1%,” said McDermott. “It’s time that we provided every American with an easy-to-read receipt on federal spending – it could be like the receipt you get after shopping at the grocery store.”
McDermott first introduced the idea of a national taxpayer receipt in the 111th Congress (H.R. 6458). The bill would provide each tax filer with a personalized statement every year. To help Americans fully understand how their tax dollars are actually spent, the statement breaks down spending using the same budget categories utilized by Congress, ensuring that consistent and objective information is provided to the American people.
Click here to view a sample of what the itemized tax receipt could look like if McDermott’s bill is passed and signed into law (direct link: http://bit.ly/dKIaxx).
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Follow McDermott on Twitter: @RepJimMcDermott.
