Tax Interview Questions

As a pastor, my father has fairly complex taxes. Since he lives in a parsonage, he doesn’t rent nor own a house, he is considered by the IRS ‘self-employed’, and has an odd system of taxes. Considering his tax layout, I thought he would be an interesting interviewee for this assignment. Throughout the interview, it was clear he would prefer if the government would limit its spending, and pay it more directly to better causes. The first question was, “What percent of your total income do you pay in both federal and state taxes?” The question regarding federal taxes was slightly difficult to answer. Since the IRS technically views my father as ‘self-employed’, he is required to pay both his Medicare and his Social Security. That being said, his taxes, not including his Medicare and Social Security Costs, was in the 10% bracket. His state tax calculation, however, was much simpler. He pays exactly 5.4% in state taxes. The next question was, “How do you feel about the level of taxes you pay?” He was ultimately not too upset with the amount he pays annually, but he doesn’t like how a lot of it is spent. Since the government has a great deal of frivolous spending, he believes he could pay much less to accomplish a lot …show more content…
Specifically, how would he prefer the federal government treated his money. His first priority seemed to be infrastructure. The roads and bridges, especially in our town, are fairly run down. He would prefer if the federal roads were better kept and better made. Next, he chose emergency and protection services, such as the FBI or the Coast Guard. Keeping our citizens safe was a high priority. Likewise, he would also like to spend money on the military, although in a different capacity. To him, the military overspends and overpays. They need to be more efficient with their funds. However, he still believes it is the role of the government to protect its people, so spending on the military is