When most people think about taxes, the first thing that comes to mind are federal and state taxes. Some will remember sales taxes, Social Security taxes, and Medicare taxes.
What unites all of these taxes are that they are burdens placed by government on the citizens of America. When we talk about the full tax burden Americans endure, it behooves us to count all of the ways in which the government forces us to spend our money.
To understand the full tax burden of Americans, we need to look at all the government does that directly financially impacts each American. For example, since 9/11, every time you fly, you have to allocate an extra hour or more to deal with security. That hour you lose is a burden imposed by the government that does not show up on your regular tax bill, but since time is money, that hour does impact your life.
Any sort of government imposed non-tax financial burden can be called a quasi-tax in that it takes money out of the pockets of Americans, but it is not levied in the manner normal taxes are, and the money does not necessarily go directly to the government.
These quasi-taxes can have a huge impact on both the economy and the financial well-being of every American. Additionally they can be extremely regressive and disproportionately target those Americans with the least money.
Obama has imposed a number of highly regressive quasi-taxes on Americans since he assumed office in 2009.
The price of gas has doubled under Obama. While that entire price change is not Obama's fault, his support for dramatic reductions in new drilling permits on federal lands and his inept foreign policy in the Middle East have contributed to reducing the oil supply and hence increasing the price of gasoline.
Via: American Thinker
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