JK Rowling tells us muggles why we should pay our taxes.

[XOKCowboy]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article7096786.ece

Now, I never, ever, expected to find myself in a position where I could understand, from personal experience, the choices and temptations open to a man as rich as Lord Ashcroft. The fact remains that the first time I ever met my recently retired accountant, he put it to me point-blank: would I organise my money around my life, or my life around my money? If the latter, it was time to relocate to Ireland, Monaco, or possibly Belize.

I chose to remain a domiciled taxpayer for a couple of reasons. The main one was that I wanted my children to grow up where I grew up, to have proper roots in a culture as old and magnificent as Britain’s; to be citizens, with everything that implies, of a real country, not free-floating ex-pats, living in the limbo of some tax haven and associating only with the children of similarly greedy tax exiles.

A second reason, however, was that I am indebted to the British welfare state; the very one that Mr Cameron would like to replace with charity handouts. When my life hit rock bottom, that safety net, threadbare though it had become under John Major’s Government, was there to break the fall. I cannot help feeling, therefore, that it would have been contemptible to scarper for the West Indies at the first sniff of a seven-figure royalty cheque. This, if you like, is my notion of patriotism. On the available evidence, I suspect that it is Lord Ashcroft’s idea of being a mug.

A multi-millionaire who's been there. What's terrible is that the conditions she describes in Britain as a single parent are nothing compared to what poor, single mothers face here in the good ol' USA.

[RoyGBiv]

1. I'll be interested in the response here ...

When I posted this last night, someone came along implying Ms. Rowling had no basis for comment because her children weren't born "out of wedlock."

[sakabatou]

4. WTF is that supposed to mean?

[RoyGBiv]

5. No clue ...

I asked, but got no answer.

[Papa Boule]

2. Amazing thing to say. And more so, to actually do.

She didn't forget.

Nice display of what character is all about.

[XOKCowboy]

3. It certainly is.

Too many let their money define them as she says.

[bobbolink]

17. Europeans tend not to be as much "ME" as USians.

Hence, they have much better "safety nets".

[Egnever]

6. Good for her!

I must say though it is much easier for people to understand the need for a saftey net when they have needed one and had one available than it is for people who have never had a need for one.

In the primaries there were several "republican converts" put on stage over health care issues they ran into or other similar stories where they were republicans all their lives till they needed help then suddenly they saw the light. A majority of Americans will never in their lives ever truly be down and out they cant even imagine what it is like its like trying to imagine the universe.

I certainly don't say this to denigrate JK she seems like a very nice lady in everything I have ever read of her and in view of that this statement really comes as no surprise.

[ejpoeta]

7. i think the trouble is there are people who HAVE been down and out and had family

to help them and wouldn't go get help to save their lives. then if they get back on their feet they say they did it all on their own. the problem is that not everyone has the options they did or family to help them out. I had my dad who helped us... and we used things like HEAP because we were going through $400 every three weeks for propane in our 1976 trailer that we had attempted to insulate and had community action put windows in and everything.... but it didn't do any good. and we were trapped.... we couldn't fix it and we couldn't afford to walk away either. we had a young daughter and I swore I wouldn't bring another child into that situation. We were broke. I mean BROKE! My then boyfriend was working installing directv in his own vehicle driving around and all our money went to pay for his gas. We almost ended up homeless.

We are in better situation now. We are not rich, but we are not starving and broke either. And we gladly pay our taxes to the town and school system. We now have three daughters, who happen to go to the school here. WE are lucky.... I know plenty of folks who aren't as lucky as we are. And I want that safety net out there. And whenever my family mentions how 'those people' are on welfare, i make sure they know that they are talking about ME when they talk about 'those people'.... because they are me. they are no different than me. except maybe they have less chance to get out of their situation than i did.

[bobbolink]

18. Thank you for speaking up to your family and others. As one of the "them", I can tell you

it HURTS to be talked about that way.

It also hurts that on DU I can speak about that pain and get laughed at.

Who ARE we?

[gmoney]

15. Doesn't always work. Remember Rush was on welfare for a while...

Of course HE was entitled to it. And now that he's got his mountain of money, everyone else should just get their own mountain of money, and don't expect HIM to help provide a safety net for anyone else.

[zbdent]

8. just wait for the kids are getting ready to inherit their millions ...

bet those kids will be chanting the Republicans' mantra ...

[nxylas]

11. And complaining about how persecuted hard-working, middle-class people like them are

"Keep government out of my hard-earned millions". Hopefully, JK will raise them better than that.

[XOKCowboy]

16. I think it has a lot to do with how your're raised...

Most of the rich, spoiled kids have parents who's only goal in life is to have more money and power. That doesn't leave a lot of time raising your kids. They leave that to nannies and private schools. I don't think that's the case here. Ms. Rowling's attitude in the editorial seems to indicate that her kids are getting a pretty good upbringing.

[sufrommich]

9. Beautiful editorial. I love her. nt

[annabanana]

10. Now THAT'S a proper Englishwoman.

And THAT is Patriotism in it's better form.

[whyverne]

12. Remember when the Beatles came out against taxes?

That turned out to be a little disingenuous since they ended up with more money than anyone could possibly spend.

Not a bad song though. "Cause I'm the tax man, Yea I'm the tax man."

[Berry Cool]

13. Eventually they grew up.

The teabaggers still consider "Taxman" their anthem, but I don't think it reflected George Harrison's philosophy for very long. It's pretty typical, though, of people who become wealthy beyond their wildest dreams, after having been poor or middle-class, to become resentful of all the taxes they suddenly have to pay (or at least did in some countries and some eras).

Bless JK Rowling for making the connection between the social safety net she had when she was a single parent with no money and the taxes she was later required to pay after she became wealthy and famous--and therefore not trying to dodge them every way she could.

[johnaries]

30. They were paying 95% in taxes.

"Should 5% appear too small.."

Although I definitely support a graduated income tax, 95% is a little repressive.

[Wednesdays]

32. You're in the top tax bracket?

Wow, who knew? :shrug:

[newtothegame]

14. Didn't know she had become a U.S. citizen...nt

[XOKCowboy]

19. She didn't.

She's talking about Great Britain but the idea is the same.

[pepperbear]

20. translation: I am rich beyond my wildest dreams.....

but I owe a debt to the socialist safety net. without it, I might not be where I am today; sitting on top of the world having written the most successful book series EVER.

[XOKCowboy]

21. Socialist safety net?

Put whatever label you want on it. Yes she's thankful that her home country provides for the poorest among them and she is happy to pay a large share of her riches so others may have those same government services.

I'm not sure what your point is.

[pepperbear]

26. the same point you made, though it seems everyone else got it but you.

[XOKCowboy]

29. Sorry

The word socialist threw me off.

[nadinbrzezinski]

22. Taxes= your user fees

and she gets it. Now I personally have not bought ANY of her books. (I Know the horror) but knowing this I will have no problem doing it in the future.

[XOKCowboy]

24. I've never read a Harry Potter book either...

Just not my type of literature. I am glad to see someone who values her heritage over pure greed.

[bobbolink]

34. "User Fees"--great term. Too bad our Dems can't start using terms like that!

[Hippo_Tron]

23. I've always had this philosophy about taxes...

If I ever reach an income level where I would truly benefit from Republican tax policies, then I'm making too much money to be complaining about taxes.

[daleo]

25. Nice

Taxes are the price of civilization - she gets it.

[Nikki Stone1]

27. She's got it. And she's right.

I might even a book of hers now. :)

[Grand Taurean]

28. She's honest.

[grahamhgreen]

31. Social welfare creates wealth!!!!!!!!! Think how much wealth we could create if we

Supported our starving artists and enterprenuers the way other countriEs do!

[BolivarianHero]

33. Guys, guys, don't you get it?

Rowling is an evull l33tist librul who is out of touch with the middle and working class. Vote Tory to avoid being taxed to death.

:sarcasm: