Matt Collins
12-07-2009, 03:13 PM
How The Gov't Gobbled Up Almost Half of Your Thanksgiving
Maybe you didn't notice, but an uninvited guest crashed your Thanksgiving dinner party.
His name was Uncle Sam. And he was responsible for a BIG portion of what you paid for your Thanksgiving feast -- a whopping 40.91 percent, according to (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102864934469&s=57420&e=0018A82oLaHfJr3B-ae7xNe0P-DOIk4WesjabkV9G39NUaoh_CJVVlH3AJ7lMl92mMDDxeK16zSL 1iFykpDwt55Lh-JxBCLBCiKzCudB5AJj2GszgmvR1Oa_lLFVABFnF2GyWya6g67w Im4m6K89q-cI3CokQ6VxP8eCmuYmW3E47pDHh2miOEW5UMf7xR_xBsK9-Sm12AmkBk=) Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), a non-partisan organization that works for lower taxes and smaller government.
ATR calculated that the average cost for a Thanksgiving feast for ten in 2009 was $42.91. That pays for a classic Thanksgiving spread: turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and coffee and milk.
Add five bottles of wine at a modest average price of $7.35, and that brings the total to $79.67 -- again, for a family of ten.
Incredibly, over half of that $76.97 goes to... the government.
Reports ATR:
"On top of the direct excise taxes on the wine, there are taxes paid by the farmers, winemakers, manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and shippers, retailers, warehouses.
"To be more specific, out of what the consumer pays, the producers and sellers must pay federal income taxes, state income taxes, federal payroll taxes, unemployment insurance taxes, workmen's compensation taxes, state franchise taxes, local property taxes and any local income taxes.
"All told, for a Thanksgiving feast for a family of ten, the government takes a bite of 40.91 percent, or $32.59."
Ouch! But it gets even worse.
Many people drive or fly to get to their Thanksgiving dinner. Some stay at hotels while visiting family. So... add taxes and other government-imposed fees on airfare, gasoline, and hotels to the cost of your Thanksgiving.
President Obama made a big show of sparing the White House turkey this Thanksgiving, as past presidents have done.
But we taxpayers and consumers once again were plucked, skinned, and carved up.
And of course, this goes on every day... not just Thanksgiving.
Maybe you didn't notice, but an uninvited guest crashed your Thanksgiving dinner party.
His name was Uncle Sam. And he was responsible for a BIG portion of what you paid for your Thanksgiving feast -- a whopping 40.91 percent, according to (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102864934469&s=57420&e=0018A82oLaHfJr3B-ae7xNe0P-DOIk4WesjabkV9G39NUaoh_CJVVlH3AJ7lMl92mMDDxeK16zSL 1iFykpDwt55Lh-JxBCLBCiKzCudB5AJj2GszgmvR1Oa_lLFVABFnF2GyWya6g67w Im4m6K89q-cI3CokQ6VxP8eCmuYmW3E47pDHh2miOEW5UMf7xR_xBsK9-Sm12AmkBk=) Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), a non-partisan organization that works for lower taxes and smaller government.
ATR calculated that the average cost for a Thanksgiving feast for ten in 2009 was $42.91. That pays for a classic Thanksgiving spread: turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and coffee and milk.
Add five bottles of wine at a modest average price of $7.35, and that brings the total to $79.67 -- again, for a family of ten.
Incredibly, over half of that $76.97 goes to... the government.
Reports ATR:
"On top of the direct excise taxes on the wine, there are taxes paid by the farmers, winemakers, manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and shippers, retailers, warehouses.
"To be more specific, out of what the consumer pays, the producers and sellers must pay federal income taxes, state income taxes, federal payroll taxes, unemployment insurance taxes, workmen's compensation taxes, state franchise taxes, local property taxes and any local income taxes.
"All told, for a Thanksgiving feast for a family of ten, the government takes a bite of 40.91 percent, or $32.59."
Ouch! But it gets even worse.
Many people drive or fly to get to their Thanksgiving dinner. Some stay at hotels while visiting family. So... add taxes and other government-imposed fees on airfare, gasoline, and hotels to the cost of your Thanksgiving.
President Obama made a big show of sparing the White House turkey this Thanksgiving, as past presidents have done.
But we taxpayers and consumers once again were plucked, skinned, and carved up.
And of course, this goes on every day... not just Thanksgiving.