[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 39 (Wednesday, April 13, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 13, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                       BIG GOVERNMENT--MORE TAXES

  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, this is the week where most 
Americans have to finish off their taxes because day after tomorrow is 
the final deadline to pay Federal income tax.
  It is a good time to look at your W-2 form and see how much is being 
deducted from your hard-earned dollars and decide just how big do you 
want Government to be. it is a good time to ask the question: How much 
should we be paying of what we earn to Federal taxes?
  Let us just look at a little bit of the history of this country. In 
1900 we paid 9 percent of our take-home dollars in tax. In 1930 it went 
up to 12 percent.
  Guess what it is today? Today if you are an average American you are 
paying 41 cents out of every dollar that you make in taxes to the 
State, local and Federal Government.
  This growth in government spending at all levels has changed the 
family budget dramatically. To keep taxes down we have to stop asking 
Government to solve more and more of our problems. The solution is for 
us to decide we can do without more Government, to decide we are better 
off spending our own hard-earned income rather than letting Congress 
decide how they are going to spend it for us.
  To keep taxes and spending down, we have to start asking Government 
for less and assume a greater responsibility for ourselves and our 
family and our community.

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