"Kamiten" Date: Tue, 17 May 2005 [savannaharealibertarians] No taxation without representation says Oregon Libertarians I'm thinking this is a great idea to lobby for pretty much anywhere in the US... Some notes on the bottom that I've added from message boards about this: APRIL 15, 2005 * FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE No vote, no taxes. Exempt minors from state, county and local income taxes. Taxing the wages of minors is "taxation without representation," hurts kids, and may actually cost the state money. BEAVERTON – Noting that virtually every American believes that "taxation without representation" is wrong, the Libertarian Party of Oregon (LPO) called on the Oregon legislature to exempt minors from having to pay state, county or local income taxes. The LPO also called on its national organization to take a similar stance with regard to federal taxes. "Because minors cannot vote, they should not have to pay income taxes," said LPO Chair Adam Mayer. "Taxation without representation is wrong." While the Libertarian Party opposes income taxes generally, it regards the taxation of politically powerless children as a particularly bad practice. "At a time when financial aid is scarce and college tuition is soaring, the state should not take money from children," said LPO Executive Director Richard Burke. "Because minors usually don't make a lot of money, the state just ends up refunding most of their money while spending millions processing their returns. And while the state has their money, kids can't earn interest on their savings." Mayer and Burke called for legislation exempting people under eighteen years of age from paying state, county or local income taxes. Such an exemption could: * Save the state money through reduced administrative costs. * Give kids a chance to save more money for college and earn interest throughout the year. * Create more jobs for minors because employers would have a lower cost of labor. * End a situation where an entire class of citizens are taxed without representation. Burke believes that abuses can be avoided, such as a family business funneling all income through a child to avoid taxation. "Many financial practices already send up red flags to tax officials and auditors," Burke said, "The same would apply if people tried to abuse the exempt status of a minor. But if we really think that taxation without representation is wrong, now is the time to prove it." CONTACT INFORMATION Adam Mayer, LPO State Chair, 503-924-5991 Richard Burke, LPO Executive Director, 503-781-7574