Pull the Curtain Back on Hidden Taxes

Pull the Curtain Back on Hidden Taxes

by Alfredo Ortiz 1 Feb 2016

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/02/01/pull-the-curtain-back-on-hidden-taxes/

You know that it’s tax season when every other commercial you see is for tax preparation services.

As we all start to get our W-2s and interest statements, we start to realize how much money the government takes directly out of our paychecks. While it is often shocking to see it added up for one year–to quote Rachel from Friends–“who’s is FICA and why is he getting all my money?”–it is important that we not forget all the hidden taxes we pay on everything from cellphone bills to alcohol. Each day we pay taxes that are built into the price of items we purchase, without even knowing it.

It may come as a surprise, but each month when you pay your phone bill, you’re also paying a ton of extra taxes and charges. Cell phone bills are loaded with mysterious sounding fees for things like the “Telecommunications Services Excise Tax Surcharge” and the “Federal Universal Service Fund,” which fund Federal Communication Commission programs. All told, these taxes add up to about 12 percent of each month’s cell phone bill. So, if you pay $100 per month for your cell phone, you’re also paying an extra $144 each year in hidden taxes.

Alcohol is taxed with so-called “sin taxes,” or extra taxes on activities the government deems inappropriate – smoking and gambling also come with these hidden fees. The federal government taxes spirits at $13.50 a gallon. On top of that, states also tax alcohol at various rates. Washington, which has the highest tax of any state, takes $35.22 for each gallon sold, while Missouri, on the other end of the spectrum, takes $2.00 a gallon. Depending on what state you’re in, and how much you buy, you could be looking at paying an additional 33 percent in alcohol tax.

Just like alcohol, gasoline comes with built-in taxes from both state and federal governments. The U.S. federal excise tax on gasoline is just over 18 cents per gallon. States also take anywhere from eight to 50 cents per gallon – an average of about 27 cents for the country as a whole. With the average price of gasoline at around $1.83, that means you pay almost 25 percent in gasoline tax every time you fill up your tank.

Hidden cable taxes also hit Americans particularly hard. Cable bills have gone through the roof in the last ten years, in part because of the extra fees we have to pay. On average, about 12 percent of each month’s cable bill goes to paying these hidden taxes.

To paraphrase Ben Franklin — the only things certain in this life are death and taxes. We all expect to pay things like income and sales taxes, and we can see them reflected on receipts and paychecks. But the hidden taxes are a little bit tougher to swallow, and they’re driving up costs for stuff we buy every day. So, the next time someone complains about how high their taxes are this tax season, tell them that the taxes they see are just the tip of the iceberg.

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

Charles O. Rossotti was a commissioner for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

Note: Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, and was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank), the International Rescue Committee, and the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Henrietta Holsman Fore is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and a member of the Belizean Grove.

Belizean_Grove is the equivalent to the male-only social group, the Bohemian Club.  

Deborah L. Wince-Smith is a member of the Belizean Grove, and was a member of the IRS Oversight Board. 

IRS Oversight Board is a citizen’s board for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). 

Charles O. Rossotti was a commissioner for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

Henry A. Kissinger is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), a member of the Bohemian Club, an overseer at the International Rescue Committee, a director at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).

Colin L. Powell is an honorary director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), an overseer at the International Rescue Committee, and Michael K. Powell’s father.

Michael K. Powell is Colin L. Powell’s son, a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and was the chairman for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Julius Genachowski is a senior fellow at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and was the chairman for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Blair Levin is a fellow at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and was the chief of staff to the chairman for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

James S. Crown is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

Lester Crown was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.  

Commercial Club of Chicago, Members Directory A-Z (Past Research)

Tuesday, December 17, 2013       

http://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2013/12/commercial-club-of-chicago-members.html

R. Eden Martin is the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.

Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.

Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.           

Newton N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was the chairman for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Mark D. Schneider is a partner at Sidley Austin LLP, and was an associate general counsel for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Meredith Attwell Baker was a commissioner for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and is a director at the Economic Club of Washington.

Vernon E. Jordan Jr. was the president of the Economic Club of Washington, is a senior counsel for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), Valerie B. Jarrett’s great uncle, a director at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).

Kathleen Q. Abernathy was a partner at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, and a commissioner for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Amy L. Nathan was an attorney at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, and is a senior counsel, strategic planning & policy analysis for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Mignon Clyburn is the commissioner for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and James E. Clyburn’s daughter.

James E. Clyburn is Mignon Clyburn’s father, and an honorary co-chair for the Third Way.

William M. Daley is a trustee at the Third Way, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was the chief of staff for the Barack Obama administration.

Valerie B. Jarrett is Vernon E. Jordan Jr’s great niece, the senior adviser for the Barack Obama administration, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

R. Eden Martin is the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.

Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.

Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.           

Mark D. Schneider is a partner at Sidley Austin LLP, and was an associate general counsel for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Newton N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was the chairman for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Tax Policy Center is a partner with the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Teresa Heinz Kerry is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and married to John F. Kerry.

John F. Kerry is married to Teresa Heinz Kerry, the secretary at the U.S. Department of State for the Barack Obama administration, and Cameron F. Kerry’s brother.

Cameron F. Kerry is John F. Kerry’s brother, and was an associate at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr.

William J. Wilkins was a partner at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, and is the chief counsel for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Kurt L. Schmoke was a partner at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, and is a trustee at the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank), and the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

Newton N. Minow is an honorary trustee at the Carnegie Corporation of New York, a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was the chairman for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Charles O. Rossotti is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and was a commissioner for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).