In 1942, rving Berlin learned the federal government was going to undertake “unprecedented income tax collections” to support the war effort, so he volunteered to write a popular song to aid in the effort.
He wrote “I Paid My Income Tax Today” (MP3; version sung by Danny Kaye).
While some of the lyrics (PDF) are a bit dated, taxes today are as important as ever. They pay for public services such as health care, schools and infrastructure.
Yet, many corporations pay no income taxes to Oregon or to the federal government (PDF).
While the issue addressed by the song — paying taxes is patriotic — is timeless, today Irving Berlin might make the message “taxes fund the public services that make for a good business climate.”
The hundreds of Oregon corporations that never sing the song should take note.
This post was originally published on www.blueoregon.com on April 15, 2015. The original post can be found at http://www.blueoregon.com/2015/04/hundreds-corporations-never-sing/.
