Theme 3: Fairness in TaxesLesson 1: How to Measure Fairness
Two criteria used to measure fairness in taxes are benefits received and ability to pay. Benefits received means that people should pay taxes in proportion to the benefits they receive from government goods and services. Ability to pay means that people's taxes should be in proportion to their resources. People's resources differ because they have different amounts of
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Activities
 Activity 1: Tax Benefits Match the tax to the benefit received. Activity 2: Comparing Town and County Services Take a virtual fieldtrip to learn what services are provided by town government and which are provided by county government. Activity 3: What Makes Taxes Fair? Assess the fairness of different taxes and fees. Assessment
 Complete the assessment page to test your understanding of How to Measure Fairness. |
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What two criteria can be used to assess whether a tax is fair?
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| tax trivia |
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Did You Know?
The IRS, a branch of the Department of Treasury, deals directly with more Americans than any other institution, public or private. It also is one of the world's most efficient tax agencies. In 2007, the IRS collected more than $2.5 trillion in revenue and processed over 235 million tax returns. Over 87 million tax returns were filed electronically. It also had the lowest cost/collection ratio since 1954.
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