Townhall | Taxation and Representation: Only Taxpayers Should Vote

While many of America’s founding ideas—like the centrality of God in a just and free society—have been scrubbed from history textbooks, this important idea remains: no taxation without representation. America’s founding fathers went to war for this idea. They listed it as one of the 27 grievances against King George III in the Declaration of Independence.

This idea holds true today. If you pay taxes, you have a say in who represents your voice in government.

According to the Tax Policy Center, 44% of American households paid no federal individual income taxes in 2018. They may pay some taxes on gasoline, tobacco, and alcohol, and they contribute to Social Security, but nearly half of Americans do not pay any of the taxes that fund our national priorities—national defense, homeland security, welfare, education, and foreign aid.