Citizens or Taxpayers?

Written by: Dylan Magnuson Dear Editor, I am 16 years old, unemployed, and I don't pay taxes. I am conflicted by the article “We need citizens, not just taxpayers and book keepers”. This article, by Daphne Bramham, states that government no longer talks about citizens; they talk only about taxpayers. I agree with that, and I feel, because they're only talking about taxpayers, I am not really affected by what they're saying. I am not old enough to vote, and I don’t pay for a whole lot, so does it really matter what I think, since I have no power? The taxpayers are the ones with the money and they're the ones who can make a difference, so its not a wonder that the government only really cares and talks about them. This article failed to explain/convince me, why citizens that aren’t taxpayers, are just as, or more important than taxpayers like it clearly means. Citizens that aren’t taxpayers don’t necessarily pay for things in society, and are less likely to vote than taxpayers. Is there a reason why they deserve to be recognized by government the same way taxpayers are?Our society is influenced and guided by money more than anything else so it makes sense to me that government thinks and acts the same way.  

Written by: Maxie Southern Dear Editor, I wish to provide additional support for the article published September 15th, 2014 titled “We need citizens, not just taxpayers and bookkeepers.” I believe a country that offers a safe culture with freedom of thought and speech, and equal opportunities for everyone requires active citizens. Simply paying taxes or merely voting uninformed has no benefit to society. In order to be active citizens people must recognize that everyone in the country has responsibilities that call for attention and work. For example, making an effort to know about current events, or to be informed and have an opinion on political parties. However, if every person had an ardent opinion it could potentially reduce political productivity. We need people who are invested in the future of our country, but at the same time are open to the majority voice. Additionally, we need citizens who are knowledgeable about national affairs, able to search for solutions, and can still trust in the government.  Without the voices of citizens, the government runs the country with the majority of their focus on money. Impoverished people are viewed as part of the demographics, not as citizens that make a difference or matter. If Canadians want that to change, then we have to become active citizens. The government cannot be expected to meet our needs without any contribution on our part. If we want the focus to expand beyond economics to include the common good, then we are responsible for creating change. I am 16, and to this point I have not paid attention to politics. This article has made me consider what kind of citizen I want to be, and it is my opinion that it could make a lot of other people more self aware. 

Written by: Kendra CathcartDear Editor, I wanted to write to provide a similar perspective to the article published september 15th, 2014, "We need citizens, not just taxpayers and bookkeepers." I agree a citizen is a rare thing these days in Canada. You don't want people to just pay taxes you want them to be involved in the community. I like that you can be a taxpayer as well as a citizen and it's important our government remembers that. You need to feel connected, belonging and have a say in your community. To be a full citizen is to have responsibilities, rights and shared values. calling people taxpayers reduces us to only get money, ignoring our values. The school strike only affects kids because they are not going to school they don't have to pay taxes so they are more a citizen. You have to pay takes you cant get out of it, but you need to be more involved in things around you and then you can become a citizen. 

Written by: Ryan NovotillDear editor:I am sixteen years old and attend spectrum community school. I am writing to provide additional information on the article published september 15th 2014 titled “we need citizens, not just taxpayers and book keepers”. This article did not properly address what kind of citizens we need.You could easily say we need people who are driven leaders who are engaged in the economy or politics and are not just taxpayers. there is a lot more to it than just that because too many people will make confusion and would end up taking more time. ultimately we could use much more citizens that are not just taxpayers and book keepers however; the real question is how many and what kind? Sadly there is no straight up simple answer, but we know that society is made up of citizens and people that are simple and follow directions yet they are still  just as important as citizens. so what we can take out of that is yes we need more citizens than what we have. the second part to the question is harder to answer because the diversity of different kinds of citizens that would be optimal to have is almost infinite. Here are a few traits some citizens should have: They are aware and engaged, they are decisive and confident, they are optimists, they can put ideas into reality, they should empower, and they collaborate well. So the question remains, what kind of citizen will you be?

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