Practical Action to Stop Government Overspending

[rschroeder1]

With tax day approaching, Americans across the country will be gathering to protest what some see as excessive government spending and taxation. I applaud people who engage in public action like this, but I believe there are more direct ways we can change the way our government spends. We can directly impact the amount of money our government has to work with a number of small and easy steps:

-Gift cards. Some state governments actually claim unused gift cards as abandoned property. More than $8 billion worth of gift cards will go unused in 2010. Consumers who do not use their gift cards can trade them on sites like www.upyourcard.com.

-IRS tax refunds. In 2008, the IRS was unable to send out over $123 million in refunds because of incorrect addresses. Ensuring correct addresses is an easy step, as is contacting the IRS. http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96596,00.html

-US Savings bonds. Unclaimed matured US Savings Bonds total $16 billion. Owners and family members of deceased owners can initiate a search to reclaim these bonds. Owners can use the Treasury Department’s Treasury Hunt. http://www.treasurydirect.gov/indiv/tools/tools_treasuryhunt.htm

These are all simple, legal steps that we can take to slowly reel overspending back in. Maybe it won’t make a huge dent, but it can be a start.

[Hawkeye2j]

With tax day approaching, Americans across the country will be gathering to protest what some see as excessive government spending and taxation. I applaud people who engage in public action like this, but I believe there are more direct ways we can change the way our government spends. We can directly impact the amount of money our government has to work with a number of small and easy steps:

-Gift cards. Some state governments actually claim unused gift cards as abandoned property. More than $8 billion worth of gift cards will go unused in 2010. Consumers who do not use their gift cards can trade them on sites like www.upyourcard.com.

-IRS tax refunds. In 2008, the IRS was unable to send out over $123 million in refunds because of incorrect addresses. Ensuring correct addresses is an easy step, as is contacting the IRS. http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96596,00.html

-US Savings bonds. Unclaimed matured US Savings Bonds total $16 billion. Owners and family members of deceased owners can initiate a search to reclaim these bonds. Owners can use the Treasury Department’s Treasury Hunt. http://www.treasurydirect.gov/indiv/tools/tools_treasuryhunt.htm

These are all simple, legal steps that we can take to slowly reel overspending back in. Maybe it won’t make a huge dent, but it can be a start.
More than 53% of your tax dollars go to the military. Let's start there.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/04/13-4

[mrmeangenes]

I read-about a week ago-something like 50% of the American public will pay no income tax at all -(more accurately, what they have paid will be refunded.)

Is this true ?

[Libertarian94]

I read-about a week ago-something like 50% of the American public will pay no income tax at all -(more accurately, what they have paid will be refunded.)

Is this true ?


I remember posting an article that said exactly that.