FCNL: 42 Percent of Your Tax Dollars Buys More War

[Guest guest]

FCNL: 42 Percent of Your Tax Dollars Buys More War

 

 

Tax day is April 15. Did you know that about 42% of our income taxes this year

will go for military purposes?

 

This figure is computed based on federal funds outlays in fiscal year 2004

(FY04) of $1.7 trillion. The federal funds budget includes spending for all

discretionary programs (for which Congress appropriates funds each year) and for

all mandatory programs such as Medicaid, food stamps, Earned Income Tax Credit,

and other needs-based programs (which are paid for out of general revenues). The

federal funds budget does not include spending by trust funds such as Social

Security and Medicare, as these are paid for through separate, dedicated payroll

taxes--not income taxes.

 

We estimate that in total the U.S. spent $715 billion in FY04 for past, present,

and future military purposes. This includes funding for the Defense Department,

Energy Department nuclear weapons programs, military-related activities of other

agencies, international military financing and training, expenses paid for the

wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, mandatory spending for military retirement and

health care, veterans programs ($59 billion), and the estimated portion of

interest paid on the national debt which can be attributed to past wars and

military spending ($157 billion).

 

 

Why do other organizations report that a higher percentage goes for military

purposes? Most likely, their calculation includes only " discretionary " spending,

which is roughly half of the federal funds budget that FCNL analyzes in its

calculation. Their pie leaves out lots of " mandatory " spending for programs like

interest on the debt, Medicaid, and food stamps for which our income taxes are

also used. They also leave out mandatory spending for military retirement and

health care and the portion of interest on the debt that can be attributed to

past wars and military spending. In short, they are showing us only about half

of what we pay for with our income taxes.

 

For a detailed breakdown of how FCNL calculates this figure go to

http://www.fcnl.org/issues/item.php?item_id=1253 & issue_id=19

 

Click here to view the FCNL Minute on Conscientious Objection to War

http://www.fcnl.org/legpolcy/priority_109th.htm#war

 

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The Next Step for Iraq: Join FCNL's Iraq Campaign,

http://www.fcnl.org/iraq/index.htm

 

Contact Congress and the Administration: http://capwiz.com/fconl/dbq/officials/.

 

Order FCNL publications and " War is Not the Answer " campaign bumper stickers and

yard

signs:

http://www.fcnl.org/newinfo/special_pub.htm

http://www.fcnl.org/iraq-war.htm

 

Contribute to FCNL:

http://www.fcnl.org/suprt/indx.htm

 

Subscribe or update your information to this list:

http://capwiz.com/fconl/mlm/. To from this list, please see the end

of this message.

 

Subscribe to other FCNL legislative, policy, and action alert lists:

http://www.fcnl.org/listserv/quaker_issues.php.

 

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Friends Committee on National Legislation

245 Second St. NE, Washington, DC 20002-5795

fcnl * http://www.fcnl.org/

phone: (202)547-6000 * toll-free: (800)630-1330

 

We seek a world free of war and the threat of war

We seek a society with equity and justice for all

We seek a community where every person's potential may be fulfilled

We seek an earth restored.

 

 

 

 

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