"Let's not reform taxes. Let's eliminate them, starting with the income tax."

--Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.

If you had $1000 to donate, would you give it to the Salvation Army or to FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency)?

Would you give it to the Shriners Hospitals for Children, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which administers Medicaid?

When I presented this choice to the political science students I taught last fall, the vast majority of students chose the voluntarily-supported organization over the taxpayer-supported government agency.

The income tax robs you of your ability to choose which services you will ... or won't ... support.

"Income taxation has made of the United States as completely centralized a nation as any that went before it; the very kind of establishment the Founding Fathers abhorred was set up by this simple change in the tax laws."

--J. Bracken Lee (former Governor of the State of Utah), Foreword, The Income Tax, Root of all Evil, 1954

Americans have suffered since the imposition of income taxes.

More and more Utahns are working longer hours to pay taxes and make ends meet. And the increasing tax burden is forcing both parents to work outside the home and away from their families.

The cost of taxes is rarely mentioned in the mainstream media's reporting on the cost of living.

But taxes are the largest single annual expense for most families in Utah (PDF file).

The Libertarian Party of Utah's platform says the following about the income tax:

We oppose all forms of income taxes. We propose that government collect revenues through fees for services actually rendered. Basic services vital to a free and peaceful society can have their just expenses provided through minimal sales taxes. Government must live within its revenues. All taxes should be subject to popular referendum and include sunset provisions. We propose abolishing the mandatory income tax withholding that was instituted as a war-time measure.

Our party's bylaws also require each of our candidates to take the following pledge:

I promise that if elected I will vote in favor of all matters that lead to a reduction in taxes and government, and expansion of personal freedoms and against all matters causing higher taxes, bigger government, and restrictions on personal freedoms. If I ever act contrary to this pledge, I will publicly apologize and offer to resign.

You may have heard similar words spoken by incumbent politicians, who are increasingly having to make libertarian-sounding promises to get elected.

Can they be believed any longer? Just look at the record of the Republican-controlled Utah government. Utah's political class has been on a long-term spending spree.

According to the Tax Foundation, the State of Utah imposes the ninth-highest tax burden among the 50 states.

The Libertarian Party has a record of reducing taxes.

If you want lower taxes and more freedom, please join us (PDF file) and support our work.

Yours in liberty,

Rob Latham, Chair

Libertarian Party of Utah

P.S.: Speaking of the income tax, one way to help the Libertarian Party of Utah advocate for lower taxes is by contributing to our election campaign fund on your state income tax form. Enter "L" into section 3 of Form TC-40 (PDF file). This does not change your refund or the amount of tax due. Thank you!