TAXPAYERS GROUP ASSAILS WASTEFUL GOVERNMENT SPENDING, URGES TAX CUT

A national taxpayers group is urging Congress and the president to cut taxes and eliminate government waste.

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, which claims 400,000 members, outlined a 13-point plan Tuesday.

The nationwide organization involves Taxpayer's Action Network groups at the state level.

Julia Kridelbaugh of Cape Girardeau, a member of the approximately 20-member, local Taxpayer's Action Network, said that government spending at all levels has gotten out of control.

"With taxes at record levels, family budgets are tight," she said. "We can't afford to shoulder the budget burden by paying more taxes."

Government at all levels today spends 42 cents out of every dollar Americans earn, she said. If spending is not controlled, in 30 years the federal government alone will eat up 40 percent of our resources, and government at all levels will consume close to 60 percent.

"Many in government talk of fairness, but what is unfair is that taxes are too high and we are not getting our money's worth," said Kridelbaugh.

"Average Americans today work 128 days out of the year until May 8, the latest date ever just to support the costs of government at all levels.

"Even at the height of World War II, Americans worked no more than 91 days to defray the costs of government. Since 1945, the total tax burden on Americans has increased 40 percent," said Kridelbaugh. "That's unfair.

"Waste must be eliminated, spending must be restrained, taxes must be cut, and competition restored to the political process," said Kridelbaugh.

The plan of the national taxpayers group calls for:

Enacting all of the unimplemented Grace Commission recommendations. It's maintained that this would cut more than $220 billion in waste and inefficiency from the federal budget in three years.

Establishing mini-Grace Commissions in the states to reduce waste in state governments.

Cutting federal agency overhead expenses by 10 percent, saving taxpayers an estimated $141 billion over five years.

Eliminating pork-barrel, special-interest spending.

Turning over some federal services to the private sector, which, the taxpayers group says, can better perform such services at a lower cost.

Closing unneeded military bases and improving defense management, with the savings being returned to taxpayers.

Adopting a balanced budget amendment that holds tax revenue increases in line with the overall growth of the economy.

Cutting the top rate on the capital gains tax, rolling back the Social Security payroll tax, reviving tax-free Individual Retirement Accounts, doubling the tax-exemption for children, and repealing all tax increases enacted in the 1990 federal budget agreement.

Limiting the number of terms members of Congress may serve.

Kridelbaugh said limiting congressional terms would "reduce the power of special interest groups who invest in career lawmakers whose tenure depends on how much `pork' they deliver."

In 1984, a government commission called the Grace Commission reviewed federal programs and agencies. It made more than 2,400 recommendations on how to cut federal government waste and spending.

Kridelbaugh said that the recommendations that already have been implemented have saved taxpayers nearly $200 billion.

Like federal spending, state government spending nationwide has also gotten out of control, she said.

"High taxes and wasteful spending are killing state economies," she maintained.

"California, for example, passed a $7 billion tax increase last year, and now one in four companies are making plans to move some or all of their operations outside of the state," said Kridelbaugh.

"Yet politicians in most states are calling for new tax increases totaling billions and billions of dollars," she said. "When will they learn that ever-higher taxation can only further depress state economies, encourage wasteful spending, and produce larger deficits?"