White House unveils 'your tax dollars at work' receipt

President Barack Obama is offering each taxpayer a receipt detailing how much of his or her tax dollars were spent on various programs and services last year. A White House website, www.whitehouse.gov/taxreceipt , asks users to input the amount they paid toward Social Security taxes, Medicare taxes and income taxes. Based on this tax data, it creates a “receipt” showing how much went towards national defense (26.3%), health care (24.3%), job and family security (21.9%) and 10 other types of programs. It also offers a further breakdown for each category. Along the same lines as the White House tool, Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., introduced a measure April 15 to require the Treasury secretary to provide each taxpayer with an annual statement on how tax dollars were spent. “Providing Americans with information and transparency on government spending is essential to maintaining the strength and health of our democracy,” Rep. McDermott said when he introduced the measure.