Taxes

Imagine you have one crayon from every person's box in your class. With all those different colors, you could draw a giant, beautiful rainbow for everyone to see. Or think about a tiny seed from every garden in the neighborhood. If you planted them all together, they would grow into a huge, shady tree where everyone could play. I am just like that. I am made of a little bit from everyone, and together, we do amazing things. You might not see me all the time, but you can see the wonderful things I help create, like that big tree or that colorful rainbow. Hello. My name is Taxes, and I help people build strong, happy communities.

My story is very, very old. One of the first times I showed up was in a warm, sunny place called Ancient Egypt, way back around the year 3000 BCE. The farmers there grew lots of yummy grain, like wheat and barley. They would give a small part of their grain to their leader, the pharaoh. The pharaoh would keep all that grain safe in big storehouses. If one year the farms didn't grow well, he could share the stored grain so no one went hungry. That grain also helped pay all the hardworking people who built the amazing, pointy pyramids that still touch the sky today. A long time later, in a famous city called Ancient Rome, I helped again. Around the 1st century BCE, people paid me with shiny coins instead of grain. That money was used to build incredible things, like long, straight roads that connected their whole empire and special bridges called aqueducts that carried fresh, clean water into the city. That money also made sure Roman soldiers could protect everyone and that the cities were safe and clean for families. For thousands of years, I have been the way people chip in to make their homes and countries better for one another.

Today, I am still here, working harder than ever to help you. When grown-ups in your family give a little bit of their money to me, it doesn't just disappear. It comes back to your community in so many helpful ways. I help build your school and make sure your wonderful teachers have everything they need to help you learn. I help create beautiful parks with fun playgrounds to climb on and soft green grass for picnics. I make sure the library is filled with exciting books for you to borrow and read. When you see brave firefighters in their big red trucks or police officers keeping your neighborhood safe, I am helping them do their jobs. I even help fix the roads so your family's car can have a smooth, safe ride. I am the way we all take care of each other. By giving just a little bit, we can build a happy, safe, and wonderful world for everyone to share together.