An Unconditional Ultimatum

Hannah Sternberg / December 08, 2010

Wall Street Journal opinion columnist James Taranto has thrown down the gauntlet on tax reform. This week he challenged a pro-tax-hike liberal to put his money where his mouth is.

Francis Dummer Fisher wrote a letter to the New York Times last week saying that rather than indulge in consumerism, he would like his unused cash to be collected as taxes by the government to “buy better schools, more federal research on health, public roads without tolls, [and] financially sound Social Security.” But Taranto points out that Mr. Fisher doesn’t have to wait for Congressional passage of a new tax bill; if he’s so eager to give his money to federal projects, he could just as easily make an unconditional gift to the government.

According to the US Treasury:

Citizens who wish to make a general donation to the U.S. government may send contributions to a specific account called “Gifts to the United States.” […] Money deposited into this account is for general use by the federal government and can be available for budget needs. (more…)