Ed. be aware: That is the newest installment in a collection of posts on motherhood within the authorized career, in partnership with our pals at MothersEsquire. Welcome Alyssa S. Hodges to our pages. Click on right here in case you’d prefer to donate to MothersEsquire.
On Could 19, 2022, Oklahoma State Consultant Mickey Dollens (D) facetiously invited the Home to co-author an outrageous invoice with him. The invoice would require pubescent boys “to get a compulsory vasectomy that’s solely reversible after they attain the purpose of monetary and emotional stability.” Telling younger males what they have to do with their reproductive organs is abhorrent. It’s invasive and controlling. And a few of these younger males might by no means even attain monetary or emotional stability. So, what I suggest as an alternative is that Congress present for a “blue tax” within the Inside Income Code.
At puberty, younger males ought to start paying modest federal and state “blue taxes.” If a younger man shouldn’t be employed on the time he reaches puberty, he is not going to be anticipated to pay his blue taxes, however his blue taxes will start to accrue curiosity. As soon as the younger man obtains employment, his accrued curiosity is to be paid on prime of the blue tax when he recordsdata his first earnings tax return. The blue tax ought to proceed to be due every year, till the person’s dying. If the person fails to pay the blue tax, the federal government ought to put a lien on his property or his property till the blue tax, and any subsequent curiosity accrued, are paid in full.
How ought to Congress allocate “blue tax {dollars}”? I’ve a number of concepts.
First, Congress ought to allocate a few of these blue tax funds to help low-income, pregnant ladies with acquiring entry to high quality healthcare. If younger males see that their blue tax {dollars} are getting used to fund healthcare for pregnant ladies and their infants, most assuredly these younger males, particularly if they’re pro-life, ought to fortunately pay their blue taxes every year.
Second, the blue tax must be used to bridge the 15% to twenty% “motherhood penalty” hole, by offering schooling funds for pregnant ladies who haven’t had entry to greater schooling. In flip, entry to greater schooling will be sure that pregnant ladies and new moms acquire higher employment. Higher employment for single moms will scale back the necessity for welfare applications, because the legislative intent for a lot of of those applications was to assist low-income, single moms.
Third, the blue tax must be used to offer entry to inexpensive work-related childcare for low-income single moms. Within the Thirties, there have been federally funded nursery colleges for youngsters. These nursery colleges had been expanded throughout World Struggle II when ladies started working outdoors the house as a result of the boys had been combating within the struggle. As soon as the struggle ended, the expectation was that girls would resume childcare duties at house, and the federal nursery faculty applications had been now not funded. At present, if the blue taxes had been enacted, blue tax {dollars} would enable the federal government to fund these applications once more. These applications would enable low-income, single moms entry to low- or no-cost work-related childcare. If single moms acquire higher paying jobs — and childcare to permit them to work these jobs — it follows that welfare applications wouldn’t want as a lot funding.
Fourth, blue tax {dollars} might fund state company welfare applications for youngsters. In Missouri, Kids’s Division investigates baby abuse and neglect circumstances. Kids’s Division is so underfunded that some caseworkers are promoting plasma simply to afford to stay. In the meantime, politicians are at the moment arguing to additional lower funding to Kids’s Division. Blue tax {dollars} might imply extra funding to guard kids who’re in danger for abuse or neglect.
Critics might argue that Congress couldn’t presumably have the authority to create a blue tax. Article I, Part 8 of the Structure provides Congress the ability to “lay and accumulate taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the money owed and supply for the frequent protection and normal welfare of the USA.” Due to this fact, a blue tax is nicely inside Congress’ energy to enact. A blue tax could be constitutional.
If you’re now questioning the way it might presumably be constitutional to saddle an individual with a lifelong accountability for different folks, just by advantage of his or her gender, welcome to the membership. Whereas I’m ready for Congress to enact a blue tax, I’m actively searching for methods to assist single mother and father within the meantime as a result of I do know they will need assistance now greater than ever. No matter (or, maybe, despite) your non secular and political beliefs, I hope you’ll be part of me in searching for methods to assist low-income, single mother and father and their kids.
Alyssa S. Hodges is the founding companion of ASH LAW LLC, a boutique agency targeted on fierce household legislation advocacy and considerate property planning. In 2022, she accomplished a tax legislation LLM program at Washington College in St. Louis, Missouri. Go to FireBreathingLitigator.com for extra data. Serious about serving to single mother and father attend legislation faculty? Go to legislation.umkc.edu/give and choose the “RBG Endowed Scholarship Fund” from the dropdown.
