can someone please tell me….when we stopped being Citizens and reduced to just tax-Payers?
Canadian citizens have been reduced to “taxpayers,” as society has increasingly adopted “taxpayers” as the preferred term for the designation of its citizens. But lets think about that for a moment.
While everyone who pays taxes is obviously a tax payer (two words), the term “taxpayer” (one word) symbolizes something much more. “Taxpayer” is a self-absorbed definition that sees taxes as a financial exchange for specific personally-realized services. Therfore all transactions of the government are based simply upon their monetary “cost” to an individual “taxpayer,” without any mention of social benefit or community value. Taxpayers seek reduce public life to a balance sheet and no longer see themselves as citizens of the community, engaged in democratic and communal self-governance. It is the "what is in it for me" attitude.
Citizens, understand that they play an important role in the democratic process of their society. Citizens are rooted in their community and evaluate all of their contributions from the perspective of contributing to the building and well-being of the total community — of which they are an important part. A citizen seeks to work at building a community founded upon pro-social (as opposed to anti-social) values. The operative question for a citizen thus becomes: What contribution am I making to build and strengthen the community for my family and for my neighbours — for my fellow citizens? Citizens will see taxes as a positive contribution to broader society, whether city, province or country.
The destruction of social connections that create a community and the dissociation of citizens from social programs that benefit society are the direct by-products — and perhaps the intended goals or the Taxpayer attitude.
Citizens see their role in society as consisting of both rights and responsibilities. It is not only my right but my responsibility as a citizen to speak out on issues that affect my neighbours and fellow citizens and to ensure the well-being of all in society.
Our future as a society rests not only on calculations of financial cost to individual tax payers, but on the assessment of communal value. Of course, a civic community’s “balance sheet,” like that of a province or a country, is vitally important, but that balance sheet must also embrace social, community and environmental values. We need health care, education, the arts, care for those who need assistance, and much more. We need a strong community that provides the full infrastructure for a healthy communal life. In short: we need to view ourselves and each other as citizens.
So, next time anyone addresses you as taxpayer, correct them and take back your status as a citizen and speak out for your community. Stand out on your street, talk to your neighbour, take an active interest in what is going on in your community, locally, and beyond….lets take back our right to be citizens!
