[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 55 (Thursday, April 25, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H3827-H3828]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             LET TAXPAYERS SEE WHAT GOVERNMENT REALLY COSTS

  (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, in 1943 Congress passed the withholding tax

[[Page H3828]]

law. This painless collection method was described by one Senator as 
the best way to ``get the greatest amount of money with the least 
amount of squawks.''
  Unfortunately for us all, he was right.
  In fact, a recent poll showed that 54 percent of America's taxpayers 
have no idea how much of their income is withheld. It is the ultimate 
hidden tax, the best way to obscure the truth about taxes and the best 
way to obscure the cost of governing.
  I want Americans to see what their Government costs. So I've 
introduced legislation that would allow workers to pay their taxes 
monthly, writing a check to the IRS just like they pay their mortgages, 
their car payments, and their rents.
  In this way, taxpayers could see how much the Government is taking 
from their paychecks and how expensive their Government is. They would 
be able to determine for themselves whether or not they are getting 
their money's worth.
  I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this legislation, which simply lets 
the taxpayers see how much their Government really costs.

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