Making all tax records public

Here is an idea that Bananaman wholeheartedly supports, but unfortunately will never happen in the U.S.

Everyone's income and tax information should be public knowledge - easily available in a searchable database. This exists to a certain extent in Norway and Sweden, but even in those countries it is more difficult to access this information than it should be. Bananaman would support complete disclosure of every individual's income and tax returns - only addresses, phone numbers, and Social Security numbers would be off limits.

Why is this a good idea?

First, it would very effectively expose the vast levels of income inequality in the U.S. Most people are clueless about the extent to which wealth is concentrated in the hands of the few. Although wealth and income are not identical, this information would tell a similar story.

Second, it would expose the extent to which wealthy people avoid taxes. Perhaps it would shame them into paying more. Even better, perhaps it would increase pressure for a more progressive tax system.

Third, many of us already have our income information made public. It might add a little perspective to learn that a teacher's $60,000 salary is what a corporate lawyer earns in a month. Which job is more important to society? To Bananaman, the answer to this question is obvious.

Lastly, this data would provide extremely valuable information to expose cases of discrimination. It is very hard for a woman or a member of a minority group to know that he or she is compensated less than a white man in a similar job (and hard to demonstrate this in court.) Public disclosure of all income information would be make such discrepancies clear.

Aside from the fact that a rather large subset of Americans would go ballistic, what are the drawbacks to this idea? I suppose it might help thieves target wealthy households, but it is already pretty easy to figure out who has something worth stealing. It might make it harder for low earners to get dates, but on the plus side, they would know that their dates were not gold-diggers. The only real concern that Bananaman would have is that it would make it even easier for businesses to target consumers with money and purposely not market things toward low earners.

What about privacy? That is clearly a concern, but, to be blunt, Bananaman cares far more about reducing income inequality than about privacy. If you do not want your income and tax information made public, it is probably because you are ashamed. If you are poor, there is a social stigma that must be overcome. If you are rich, you probably know that you earn way more than you deserve, you pay too little in taxes, and you should be ashamed.

Oh yeah, this might increase resentment against the rich. Well, if you don't resent the rich, this blog is not for you. This idea is sweet and herbaceous - 4 bananas!