The following is a guest blog from Southern Nevada small business owner Shaundell Newsome:
Yesterday, I was on a call with the White House staff and the US Black Chamber of Commerce to discuss this “Fiscal Cliff” and negotiations between Congressional Leaders and President Barack Obama. The Chamber has its opinion. The President has his ideas. Congress has its platform. Shaundell Newsome tells the truth.
The following views expressed are those of Shaundell Newsome; not Sumnu Marketing or any other groups that he’s affiliated with.
When I was a teenager I worked at a grocery store stocking shelves and bagging groceries in Brooklyn, New York. I was elated because I would be earning some extra money for school lunch and my activities as a youth. Payday could not come fast enough. However, when I received my paycheck the elation was deflated instantly. Where is my money? Who is FICA, FED and the other letters sharing in my compensation for hard work? I rushed home to complain to my dad. He told me “Son, you are always going to have to pay your fair share of taxes. That’s the way life is.”
Later in life I would join the United States Air Force and get an understanding of what our tax dollars did for the country. Today as a small business owner, I pay taxes in many ways. I am just as deflated at times similar to when I was that kid in Brooklyn. But I truly understand why we need to pay taxes.
Today, our country is challenged with some tough financial decisions. Who gets the tax breaks? Our wealthiest Americans feel that they earned the right to pay a lower tax rate than some kid working in a grocery store to earn extra money for lunch or clothes for school. The college student who is supplementing scholarships for tuition while working at the mall should pay a higher tax rate than a rich person. Middle class working families like the one I grew up in pay more taxes because they have not reached a certain status.
Americans spoke robustly in this past election. Let’s leave the political posturing and partisan games behind. It’s time to truly do what government is supposed to do. Give the people of this great nation what they deserve. The middle class should receive tax breaks to spurn our economy. The gaps and loopholes should be closed for the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share. Billionaires should not pay a lower tax rate than a teenager at a grocery store.
