Taxes at Work

Goods and services governments provide, and how taxes pay for them.

Warm-up, learn, try it together, practice, then a quick check. About 15 minutes.

What children learn in Level 67

Some goods and services are provided by the government, for everyone: public schools, libraries, roads and bridges, police officers, firefighters, and the military.
How does the government pay for them? With taxes: money people and businesses pay to the government.
When you buy many things in a store, a sales tax is added to the price. Families also pay taxes on their homes and the money they earn.
Why share the cost? No family could build a highway or a fire station alone, but together, everyone's taxes can. Try it with a grown-up: read a store receipt and find the sales tax.

Georgia Standards of Excellence in Social Studies:

SS3E2 — Explain that governments provide certain types of goods and services in a market economy (schools, libraries, roads, police/fire protection, and military) and pay for these through taxes.