The Real Cost of Gov't (in 3 Measures)

Want to know just how much pending legislation is gonna cost you--whether "you" is an individual, a couple, or a family?

Then check out Washington Watch, a site run by occasional Reason contributor Jim Harper. The site breaks down how much pending legislation and regulation will cost. So, for instance, go here to get the skinny on the The Unaccompanied Alien Child Act of 2005 (which will cost the average family six cents). And go here for a fuller explanation of how the site derives its estimates.

Washington Watch is well worth killing a few hours at (no idea of how much the site will cost the average employer in terms of lost work).

Comments

[RandyAyn]

Check out the savings from the end of the death tax:

H.R. 8 Tax Bill The Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act of 2005 Saves: $1,935.36 13-APR-05

[Happy Jack]

Well, try as I might, I can't find out how to calculate the costs to my pysche induced by various legislation.

[RandyAyn]

That was for a family of three, btw.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 seems to be both saving us $63.36 (H.R. 6) and costing us $308.19 (H.R. 1640).

Now there's a Washington Bargain for you!

[Eric Ross]

the site had me thinking it was serious for a minute until I read the claim that repealing the Inheritance Tax will save us money.

Yeah right. The Wal-Mart heirs will inherit additional billions they've done nothing to earn and my taxes will increase to make up for their privilege.

[anon]

"Do not envy a worthless heir; his wealth is not yours and you would have done no better with it. Do not think that it should have been distributed among you; loading the world with fifty parasites instead of one, would not bring back the dead virtue which was the fortune."

[anon]

But I suppose it does need some refining...:

"The Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005
H.R. 902 would authorize the U.S. Mint to create a new $1 coin and an investment-grade gold bullion coin as well as redesign the 1 cent coin."

Umm, didn't we *just* design and release some dollar coins? Amusingly, the U.S. Mint page starts, "It's not every day we come up with a completely new dollar.."

[Xenophanes]

H.R. 8 Tax Bill The Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act of 2005 Saves: $1,935.36 13-APR-05

I need to read a bit more about this. Somehow the repeal of a tax that I was never going to have to pay, nor are my heirs likely to have to is saving my family $1,935.36. That's nice.

I wonder how much money I'll be receiving from Ethanol subsidies?

[Hydroman]

So well put anon, greed and envy are not creative emotions.They usually have destructive and depressionary results.

[joe]

The chart states that the bill to repeal the Inheretance Tax will save the average family $2096.

Ladies and Gentleman, I give you the failure of the conservatives economic thinking.