misunderstanding taxes

Today when I purchased a phone card, I complained that there seemed to be a tax on it.  (Thanks to the wise legislators of the state of Texas who in their wisdom also encourage education by taxing any books I buy electronically.....)

Someone asked, "Why?  What are the taxes where you are from?"

They miss the point.  A tax on a phone card is a regressive tax--affecting those with less money more than those who have more money.

People with lots of money are able to have a monthly account.  People with less money prefer pay-as-you-go; or, in fact can't afford anything else.

So by taxing people like me who use phone cards, the wise Texas legislator targets those with less money.  (Don't those with a monthly account pay taxes too? I don't know.  But it appeared to me as I was paying my bill, that I was paying a special tax placed upon those who buy phone cards---i.e., people with less available cash, who need to restrict themselves by such means.)

Since telephones (even mobile ones) are no luxury, this is an especially obnoxious tax.

Needless to say, it is even more obscene when we consider the parasitical non-producers who play games on Wall Street pay little or no taxes on what they win through gambling.  And, then again, those who are rich manage to pay a lower rate of tax than working people....Some large corporations pay little or no tax, even managing to receive refunds...............

So when a person with a low income like me has to pay taxes on a mere necessity like a telephone, that's a reason to complain.  And it's totally irrelevant whether I also pay a tax for my mobile phone elsewhere.  I am paying a tax on my life, a tax merely on being alive--and income from taxes is being used to finance all kind of evils --- wars, spying on ordinary citizens, militarizing the police, and the luxurious lifestyle of the idle rich.

Recommended Reading:
for a more thorough treatment of the politics of taxes, see Erik Olin Wright's book "American Society; How it Works"  at his home page, or Richard D. Wolff's frequent comments about the unjust nature of the tax system in the USA..... at his homepage.