Taxes. The scariest T word in this day and age. Well, maybe the second. No one enjoys seeing their paycheck reduced by federal and state taxes, but we need the money in order for our country to properly function. We need to pay for things such as infrastructure and police officers. But we also have a responsibility to take care of the members of our society. The biggest question in this day and age, and most recent election, is: do the rich pay enough taxes?

In his State of the Union address, President Obama said, “… If you truly believe you could work full-time and support a family on less than $15,000 a year, go try.” President Obama has an excellent point. Families cannot survive in this country on minimum wage salaries. It is nearly impossible, especially once taxes are taken out. According to the Congressional Budget Office, in 2013, the United States provides families earning $25,400 a year with $9,600 in government benefits. These benefits are vital for the survival of these families.

These benefits are paid for with taxpayer money. Ron Haskins states, “After all, we’re spending $1 trillion between the federal government and the states on benefit programs, and our tax system is hugely progressive: The upper 20 percent pay over 90 percent of federal income taxes.” According to Curtis Dubay, “… the top 1 percent of households earned just under 15 percent of all income in 2010… they paid 39 percent of all federal income taxes – and more than 24 percent of all federal taxes that year.” The rich currently pay a majority of the taxes in this country already. I agree that they make ridiculous amounts of money, but have they paid their fair share?

Both sides cannot agree on a solution to this problem, but they can agree that there is a serious problem. The more benefits the government gives out; the more tax money is needed to cover the cost of these benefits. That much both sides can agree on. Further delving into the break down of the benefits given out can help us see the ways in which our money is being spent. Do the richest of this country pay their fair share of taxes? Perhaps. They make abnormal amounts of money, and they should pay taxes according to that. The poorest of the country should be required to pay according to what they can. When it comes to giving benefits to the poor, I wonder if there are additional ways to help them when it comes to education and the skills needed to find better jobs. At the end of the day, it boils down to political preference. Liberals wants more political intervention, which comes with a big price and conservatives prefer less political intervention. Who pays for it all is another story.