No such thing as a tax break

A quick note on a politically convenient phrase: “tax break.”

According to the Left, and some on the Right, when the “rich” are paying the same tax rates as the middle class, they are being given a “tax break.” Obama’s new spot claims that McCain’s tax plan will give corporations $200 billion in “tax breaks” and oil companies $4 billion in “tax breaks” (which, in reality, means less taxes for the consumers — but that’s an entirely different story).

Whether you believe in progressive taxation or not, there is no such thing as a tax break. There is only the taking of taxes by the government — most often through coercion. There is no static rate of taxation that allows us to measure who is getting a “break” and who is paying a “fair share.” In fact, it’s not a “break” to keep your own money or the profit you generate.

(Plus: Clarifying the ridiculous GOA claim that two out of every three United States corporations paid no federal income taxes from 1998 through 2005.)