On Tax Day, Why I'm Proud to Give to the IRS

Impact

I’m a millennial, and I don’t mind paying taxes.

Sure, I gripe about actually doing my taxes because entering the information in TurboTax, filling out all the fields, generating the forms, and checking for errors takes time. Of course, I’d rather be doing something else. Ultimately, though, I see taxes as an investment, and I don’t mind paying them.

Elizabeth Warren, running for U.S. Senate in my home-state of Massachusetts, talks about investment as a core tenant of her campaign. I attended one of her Washington, D.C. fundraisers a few weeks ago where she posed a key question: Do we want to be an America that invests in the middle class through education, infrastructure, and research? The answer for me, quite simply, is yes.

When I look at all the impending infrastructure issues: old water pipes, cracking bridges, deteriorating roads, I can’t help but want to remind the Republican leadership that I’ll be dealing with those problems right along with the deficit. Please stop telling me what I should and should not inherit. And while we’re at it, can we please start talking about deficit reduction in a balanced and solutions-oriented mindset? I recognize that our current spending levels are not sustainable, but there is a responsible narrative in addressing this fiscal challenge that calls for compromise. Right now, I’d prefer to see my tax dollars invested in the systems I cannot live without as opposed to illogical tax cuts that do next to nothing meaningful for the middle class including myself. Elections are about values and I happen to value investment; I’ll be proud to vote on that basis in November.