Letter: Morality has nothing to do with income tax

Sunday, Sept. 30, 2007 | 6:58 a.m.

The Sept. 27 letter from Rick Imker, calling the income tax immoral, left me shaking my head. What does immorality or, for that matter, morality have to do with any kind of tax?

How does the letter writer think this country can operate without tax money to support the various government agencies that we citizens demand services from on a daily basis? Who is going to pay for the military, all the federal agencies that monitor our food, medicines, environment, safety, transportation, etc? Corporations pay taxes but they can't and won't cover all the costs.

We could probably cut back many government services, but sometime in the future there would be a crisis and people would demand the government step in and provide assistance. That is what has happened in the past and will probably happen again.

Of course, we could do what we are doing now to pay for the war in Iraq - borrow money from other countries and banks. Then, China and others would hold our bonds and our economy in their hands. That's an interesting thought. But that's a problem for our children and grandchildren - so, who cares, right? Just so long as people like Mr. Imker don't have to pay income taxes.

Judith Lachance, Las Vegas