When the government needs more money, it does two things. It goes into compliance enforcement overdrive, and it looks to raise taxes. I’ve always asserted we have a spending problem versus a revenue problem. The government, by contrast, believes it has a revenue problem and not a spending problem.
My position gets me labeled as a right-winger .
I’ve never quite understood why that is the case. I care about my community. I volunteer my time. I donate my money. I work very hard to take care of my family. Every time the government increases my taxes, it means that more of my time has to be spent to fill government coffers. It means less of my time can be spent giving back in ways I feel make a difference. In other words, it infringes on my personal freedom.
The government will come after people and companies with a vengeance if they fail to fulfill their tax liability. They will tack on penalties and interest to an unpaid amount that would make the most aggressive payday lenders salivate with envy. And, they’ve got their own way of “kneecapping” those that owe them money regardless of the excuse:
The department has obtained a court order to force the 38-year-old restaurant chain to pay up or close down. Homans said his department can take up to 60 months to pay off the tab, but the restaurant better do something quick.”I would say it’s a matter of days for the process to be completed and the order is finalized for them to shut down,” Homans said.
Late Wednesday, afternoon founder Dave Garduno released a statement blaming a former employee for embezzling $2 million and creating the tax problem.
In the end, the heavy hand of government will always prevail. Yet, what happens when the government entities that empty your pockets fail to follow their own rules? Nothing. Absolutely, nothing.
There are no sanctions, however, for agencies that skip audits, something Balderas said he’d like to change. He’d also like to see lawmakers start withholding the budgets of groups with outstanding audits.
“These agencies are using taxpayer dollars and they should be accountable,” he said. “These dollars have been spent and they are not accounting for it … that’s egregious and unacceptable.”
So, you think the government has your best interests in mind? Think again. There are double standards in play here. If you fail to file your government mandated paperwork, they will do everything they can to make you comply. If a government agency fails to file their paperwork, well, nothing happens.
If we’re looking for a place to start making budget cuts, I suggest cutting the budgets of all those who refuse to be held accountable as a great place to start.