Deep in the heart of taxes

About a dozen people gathered in front of the downtown Chico post office April 15 (aka Tax Day) to protest how some of the nation’s tax revenue is spent.

Longtime activist Emily Alma (pictured) said the idea was to “raise awareness with the public about where our tax money is going.” She said 45 percent currently goes to the military and by alerting the public to that fact, she hoped the protest will help to “eventually influence our government to shift how our tax money is spent.”

The reactions from passersby for the most part were positive. “We’re not opposed to taxes,” Alma said. “We support people paying taxes for our roads, our health care, low-income housing and our veterans who are wounded and struggling. There are so many other things our tax dollars could go to instead of creating more violence in the world.”