Give people the option to choose which departments their tax dollars go to support using zero up budgeting.
Establish that 80 % of a person’s tax on AGI (before credits are applied) can be directed by the filer to support a department or agency.
Ex Milton has a tax burden of 10000 on his 2024 AGI 2000 would be automatically placed in the general apportionment pot. Milton can then choose 30% for DOD (3000) 10% for debt service (1000) 15% for the SBA (1500) and 5% to the Patent and Trade Office.
Stipulations
- Individual Taxpayer allotments are confidential.
- Allotments are at limited to above the agency levels (no getting in the weeds).
- If proposal is unconstitutional because of Congresses role as the holder of the purse strings, the summary apportionment figures will be presented to Congress as a stand alone bill where members have to vote BY NAME up/down to follow the people’s apportionment.
- Departments and agencies must prepare a plane language prospectus for themselves including gross breakdowns of where their funding goes. The form and function must mirror investment prospectus.
- Govt “advertising” will be subject to the same rules of advertising commercial securities.
Optional - treat taxpayer apportionment as an investment with unrealized gains and losses. This will (a) keep score of how an agency is managing their funds using terms most understand and (b) engage the voter in how their “investments” are performing.
Optional - have a mandatory single semester curriculum for HS students on “investing” their taxes. New citizens will also be required to take this class before being granted citizenship.
I believe this policy will improve transparency and will re-infranchise (sp?) taxpayers in the budgeting of their money.
This policy was inspired by my then 15 year old son who asked why can’t we say that our taxes can only go to good parts of govt and my undergrad Econ prof who said in every class “your dollar is your vote”