The cost of the US government is rising

BrookesNews.Com
Monday 14 July 2003

Americans for Tax Reform, the nation's leading taxpayer advocacy organization, held a press conference on Friday 11 July to mark Cost of Government Day (COGD), the day in the calendar year when Americans have paid their share of the federal, state and local spending and regulatory burdens.

This year's COGD is four and a half days later than last year.

The cost of government as a share of national income has risen each of the last three years, after falling every one of the previous eight.

In fact, increases over the last three years have nearly wiped out the gains between 1992-2000. The report demonstrates that, to the chagrin of many conservatives, the government is growing at unprecedented speeds.

"Cost of Government Day is a true measure of whether the conservative movement is achieving its goal of shrinking the size of government," said taxpayer advocate Grover Norquist, who heads ATR in Washington.

"This report shows that the conservative movement has a lot more work to do, and we must work with Congress to keep the government from growing out of control," he continued.