How the Federal Income Tax Debate Proves Texas (and Dixie) Needs Independence
The problem isn’t just how the Federal Government collects its revenue – it’s what it does with it.
The latest headlines tell us that former President Trump is “flirting” with eliminating the Federal income tax. While the media treats this as some radical notion, they conveniently forget that for most of American history, no one sent their paycheck to Washington. The Federal Government funded itself through tariffs and excise taxes from 1789 until 1913. That’s 124 years without the government reaching directly into citizens’ pockets.
This discussion illuminates the fundamental problem with our relationship with the Federal Government. Every election cycle, politicians dangle the promise of tax reform in front of voters like a carrot on a stick. Meanwhile, the Federal bureaucracy grows larger, more expensive, and more intrusive with each passing year. The simple truth is that the income tax isn’t just about revenue – it’s about control.
Let’s put this in perspective. Right now, Texans send approximately $265 billion annually to the Federal Government in taxes. What do we get back? At best, $162 billion in Federal spending. This means Texans overpay by $103 billion every single year. To put that figure in stark terms, the total cost of Hurricane Harvey’s damage was estimated at $75 billion. The amount that the Federal Government siphons from Texas annually equals a natural disaster the size of Harvey hitting our state every nine months.
Here in Texas, we’ve enshrined our opposition to income taxes in our constitution…