It’s Tax Day, the last day to submit your “fair share” to the U.S. government in order to contribute to America’s operations – or file an extension.
Every American is expected to file by today’s deadline or face potential penalties, but for the IRS, no penalties exist for retaining $1.5 billion in unclaimed 2019 tax refunds. It’s a one-way street when dealing with today’s expanding government.
While taxes are a fundamental part of any successful nation, the extent to which the people are taxed can vary greatly, affecting citizens’ wallets at extremely different rates. Citizens pay taxes with the idea of receiving common services at the expense of the government, like infrastructure updates.
But every year, billions of dollars go to foreign affairs that U.S. citizens are not consulted on.
Ukraine, for example, continues to take billions of Americans’ hard-earned dollars every few months. Ukraine has received a whopping $112 billion from the U.S. Just last week Biden committed another $5 billion to Zelenskyy. With such reliable flows of cash, would anyone reaping the benefits ever want the conflict to actually end?
SEE ALSO: Rep. Gaetz demands transparency surrounding U.S. troops in Ukraine
While international diplomacy is essential, fraud, corruption, and financial abuse exist, especially when such dealings aren’t trackable. For these reasons, many Americans have become skeptical of the billions in aid directed to foreign groups.
The U.S. contributes billions of dollars to international organizations. The most recent data from 2021 shows the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (another impractical agency) gave a combined total of $15 billion to foreign entities.
The World Food Program, part of the United Nations, received the most money from the U.S. government, at just over $3 billion in 2021. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees received $1.9 billion. The third highest beneficiary was The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria – a partner of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – which received $1.5 billion.
Notably, aid to foreign nations between 2013 and 2018 continued steady regardless of the party in power, indicating a lack of financial awareness within both political parties.
Today’s lesson: File your taxes so the U.S. government can discreetly funnel more funds abroad, while it also pulls trillions of dollars out of the thin air.
Convention of States is a mission rooted in stopping this destructive behavior within the U.S. federal government.
The reckless spending must end, or our nation will. We’re working to call a convention under Article V of the Constitution to propose amendments that will require politicians to balance a budget.
Join the cause by signing the petition below.
