Utah State employees' salaries online

[Ma'ake]

There was a post on Cougarboard with a link to State of Utah employee salaries.

http://www.utahsright.com/salaries.p...&oType=&page=1

It's the law in Utah, a full accounting of tax money spent is a public right, which includes listing salaries by employee name & govt area (eg, Davis School District, UDOT, etc).

Fair enough.

So...if making public the names & salary amounts of state employees is a right in Utah - in the spirit of full disclosure of tax money expenditures - shouldn't there also be a public listing of tax revenue sources?

I'm talking making available income tax revenues, by taxpayer name(s) & amount. The public should have the right to know who is pulling their weight. For example, I'd like to know how much my neighbors contribute toward education. Why shouldn't I have the right to know in detail where tax revenues are coming from?

Wouldn't this also be fair?

Thoughts?

[TripletDaddy]

Originally Posted by Ma'ake

There was a post on Cougarboard with a link to State of Utah employee salaries.

http://www.utahsright.com/salaries.p...&oType=&page=1

It's the law in Utah, a full accounting of tax money spent is a public right, which includes listing salaries by employee name & govt area (eg, Davis School District, UDOT, etc).

Fair enough.

So...if making public the names & salary amounts of state employees is a right in Utah - in the spirit of full disclosure of tax money expenditures - shouldn't there also be a public listing of tax revenue sources?

I'm talking making available income tax revenues, by taxpayer name(s) & amount. The public should have the right to know who is pulling their weight. For example, I'd like to know how much my neighbors contribute toward education. Why shouldn't I have the right to know in detail where tax revenues are coming from?

Wouldn't this also be fair?

Thoughts?

I can see wanting to know how your own tax dollars are being spent. Thus, the website.

I see no compelling reason why we should be able to see how much other people pay. it has no bearing on your tax responsibility, which is already a set percentage based off your overall income.

Besides, seeing someone else's W2 will only result in 2 things:

1. You will look at some, realize you make more than they, and be upset that they are not "pulling their weight"
2. Many will look at you, realize they make more than you, and be upset that you are not pulling yours

[Ma'ake]

But doesn't one's level of interest in seeing how "their" tax money is spent really depend on how much tax they pay?

Should a deadbeat hippie who really doesn't earn any living have the same "right" to scrutinize tax revenue expenditures as a hard working citizen?

I think the public has a right to know who pays taxes, in which amounts.

[RockyBalboa]

Originally Posted by Ma'ake

But doesn't one's level of interest in seeing how "their" tax money is spent really depend on how much tax they pay?

Should a deadbeat hippie who really doesn't earn any living have the same "right" to scrutinize tax revenue expenditures as a hard working citizen?

I think the public has a right to know who pays taxes, in which amounts.

More government intrusion. Awesome.

[Ma'ake]

Originally Posted by RockyBalboa

More government intrusion. Awesome.

LOL - so which way is it? Is the public entitled to know how tax money is spent, but the same public doesn't have a right to know where the tax money came from?

In other words, "do as I say - if I'm of the position that government is bad and I get to know everything government spends *my* money on - but by all means, I should not have to divulge how much I contribute".

A convenient double standard for conservatives.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by Ma'ake

LOL - so which way is it? Is the public entitled to know how tax money is spent, but the same public doesn't have a right to know where the tax money came from?

In other words, "do as I say - if I'm of the position that government is bad and I get to know everything government spends *my* money on - but by all means, I should not have to divulge how much I contribute".

A convenient double standard for conservatives.

The public owns the government, but the government shouldn't own the public.

In a corporation, publicly traded, key employee information is on display, but shareholder information is not. Nor should it ever be.

[Goatnapper'96]

Originally Posted by Ma'ake

LOL - so which way is it? Is the public entitled to know how tax money is spent, but the same public doesn't have a right to know where the tax money came from?

In other words, "do as I say - if I'm of the position that government is bad and I get to know everything government spends *my* money on - but by all means, I should not have to divulge how much I contribute".

A convenient double standard for conservatives.

This is a silly argument. The government knows exactly where its revenues come from. What good does it do the public to know how much you or I contributed in taxes?

[Indy Coug]

Originally Posted by Ma'ake

LOL - so which way is it? Is the public entitled to know how tax money is spent, but the same public doesn't have a right to know where the tax money came from?

In other words, "do as I say - if I'm of the position that government is bad and I get to know everything government spends *my* money on - but by all means, I should not have to divulge how much I contribute".

A convenient double standard for conservatives.

What a convoluted bunch of nonsense. Using that same logic, I want to see the records of those on medicaid, medicare, SS, etc. to see how much of my money they're getting and why they're getting it.

[Ma'ake]

Originally Posted by Goatnapper'96

This is a silly argument. The government knows exactly where its revenues come from. What good does it do the public to know how much you or I contributed in taxes?

If the *government* knows where it gets its money, isn't that in itself the kind of information the public should know about?

The public would benefit by knowing which members of society are "pulling their weight".

What possible harm would come from this kind of transparency?

[Detroitdad]

Originally Posted by Ma'ake

If the *government* knows where it gets its money, isn't that in itself the kind of information the public should know about?

The public would benefit by knowing which members of society are "pulling their weight".

What possible harm would come from this kind of transparency?

The government governs by the will of the people. They are, therefore accountable to the public for how they spend the monies that they collect through the will of the people(presumably through their voting rights). The public has no right to personal information about other individuals since they have no social contract one to another.