The rights and responsibilities of citizens

Living in a community, living in a group, has many advantages, but it also means assuming responsibilities. Those who live in a group benefit from what others contribute, but they also have to contribute their part to the rest of the group. That is to say, living in a community means enjoying rights and advantages, but also assuming our responsibilities towards others. As an example, we can think of the houses we all usually live in.

Well, the State is like a very large house and those who live in it are the citizens. Therefore, all the people who live in that big house, in that State, have to pay all the common expenses; That is, everyone has to pay taxes so that the State, which includes Autonomous Communities and Municipalities, can provide public goods and services that are for everyone and that everyone can use. Taxes are amounts of money established by law that citizens must pay to contribute to public spending.

In a house, there are large and small apartments, and therefore apartments of different sizes do not pay the same amount for common expenses. The same thing happens in the State, where there are citizens who have more money and, therefore, pay more taxes than other citizens who have less money and, therefore, pay less taxes.

This is because, if everyone paid the same, just as in the case of people with little money versus those with a lot, the State (including the Autonomous Communities and City Councils) would have little money and could provide few public goods and services. Then there would be children who couldn't go to school because their parents couldn't afford it, or people who couldn't go to the doctor or hospital because they didn't have enough money, or elderly people who would have to depend on their children or grandchildren to make ends meet because they wouldn't have pensions. There would also be people who would not be able to travel whenever they wanted because there would be no good public transport; or that even if they had a car, it would take them a long time to get to places because there were no good roads. There would also be problems collecting and recycling garbage, having water in homes for drinking, showering, and washing clothes, or there could be serious consequences if a fire broke out due to a lack of firefighters.

To ensure that public administrations (central, regional, and local) can provide the public services necessary for everyone to live as well as possible, different amounts of taxes are paid depending on how much money people have and their personal and family obligations. For example, those who earn very high salaries do not pay the same as those who earn lower salaries; People who live alone do not pay the same as those who live with their families; Nor do families with children, or those who have to care for the elderly or disabled, pay the same as those who do not have these types of responsibilities.

That is to say, all citizens have to pay taxes to the State, the Autonomous Communities and the Municipalities. This is justice , which means that, as all citizens have the same rights, they all have the same obligations, including contributing to common expenses by paying taxes. But taxes are not a fixed fee, the same for everyone. The amount of taxes they have to pay depends on a citizen's economic and family situation. This is equity , which means treating different situations differently.

Taxes also serve to ensure that people do not lack the most necessary things because they lack money. This is the redistribution . With tax money, central, regional, and local governments provide the most basic and essential public goods and services for all citizens. If some have contributed more taxes than others because they have greater economic capacity, they have put into practice the value of solidarity, which is fundamental to living in society.