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OP-ED
Governments Must Match the Accountability They Demand of Citizens
By Terry F
March 5, 2025
Consider a typical taxpayer: an individual earning $32,476 annually, with $5,832 withheld for taxes and $127.43 claimed in deductions—including a $5.37 coffee as a business expense. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tracks this citizen meticulously. It holds their W-2 from an employer, 1099 from a freelance job, and digital records of every bank transaction, payment app transfer, and charitable contribution. A $10 unreported deposit triggers scrutiny. In 2023, the IRS processed 153.3 million tax returns, collected $2.176 trillion in income tax, and recovered $64.2 billion through enforcement, employing 79,070 staff with a $14.3 billion budget. Advanced technology—artificial intelligence, real-time bank data integration, and automated audits—ensures precision down to the cent. Noncompliance demands documentation or incurs penalties.
Contrast this with the U.S. government’s financial oversight. In 2023, it expended $6.134 trillion—$4.439 trillion from tax revenue, the remainder borrowed, contributing to a $34.2 trillion national debt. This equates to $18,406 per citizen. The Treasury’s Financial Report allocates $1.107 trillion to defense, $1.669 trillion to Medicare and Medicaid, and $886 billion to Social Security. Yet these figures lack granularity. What did the $1.107 trillion in defense funding procure—specific equipment or administrative overhead? Did the $1.669 trillion in healthcare spending reach beneficiaries or inflate intermediary costs? The public receives no clear answers. The Department of Defense’s 2023 audit failed, with $3.8 trillion in assets—52% untraceable. While citizens must substantiate every deduction, government spending escapes equivalent rigor.
This disparity extends beyond the United States. In the United Kingdom, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs monitors a £9.99 online purchase, yet the £829 billion national budget offers only broad categories. India’s tax authority records a ₹499 mobile payment, while its $2 trillion expenditure is summarized in high-level reports. Globally, governments demand exhaustive transparency from citizens but provide minimal detail on their own accounts.
Foreign aid exemplifies this opacity. The U.S. disbursed $71.9 billion in 2023, including $16.62 billion to Ukraine—$8 billion for military support and $8.62 billion for economic stabilization. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) labels these funds “energy repairs” or “refugee assistance,” but specific recipients—whether a Kyiv utility or a Donetsk relief effort—remain undisclosed. Ethiopia received $1.8 billion, primarily for “food security,” yet the farms or distributors benefiting are unspecified. Historical precedent underscores the cost: the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported $1.2 billion in Iraq aid “unaccounted for” from 2003-2012, including $76 million tied to nonexistent schools. In Afghanistan, 2023’s $1.1 billion—$1 billion humanitarian, $100 million security—lacks detailed allocation beyond agency assurances. Agencies like USAID, the Department of Defense, and the State Department report aggregates, not itemized outcomes.
Domestic expenditures reveal similar deficiencies. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) managed $1.669 trillion in 2023 Medicare and Medicaid funds, yet its Inspector General identified $87 billion in “improper payments” from 2018-2022—$17.4 billion annually lost to overpayments, fraud, or untracked disbursements—without detailed reconciliation. The Department of Defense’s $1.107 trillion budget included $220 billion in equipment—vehicles, weapons—lacking location records, per a 2023 GAO assessment. These agencies publish topline figures but omit vendor identities, delivery confirmations, or per-transaction accountability. Citizens face audits for $127.43; governments misplace $220 billion with scant explanation.
This asymmetry carries greater consequence than individual tax compliance. Governments control vast resources—$6.134 trillion in the U.S., £829 billion in the UK, ₹45 trillion in India—shaping security, welfare, and infrastructure. Without granular disclosure, citizens cannot assess efficacy or influence priorities. Did $8 billion equip Ukraine’s forces with verifiable assets? Did $1.8 billion alleviate Ethiopia’s hunger in measurable ways? Globally, opacity enables inefficiency and corruption, as seen in Brazil’s $15 billion Petrobras scandal or Nigeria’s $20 billion in untraced oil revenue. Agencies cite “complexity” or “security” to justify vague reporting, yet $886 billion in Social Security requires no such shield. The IRS monitors 153.3 million taxpayers; governments can account for $6.134 trillion.
A solution exists: extend to governments the scrutiny imposed on citizens. Modern systems—such as blockchain ledgers—could publicly document every transaction: $50 million to a Kyiv contractor, $5 million to a Missouri healthcare provider, fully traceable. The IRS integrates banking data for individuals; agencies could synchronize their financial flows similarly. In 2023, U.S. taxpayers contributed $215 per person to foreign aid and $13,322 to the federal budget. Globally, citizens sustain trillions—₹32,000 per Indian, $150 million in Kenyan taxes—meriting oversight commensurate with their investment. Each untracked billion represents lost public goods.
Legislatures worldwide—Congress, Parliament, and beyond—must mandate this shift. The IRS demonstrates precision, reclaiming $64.2 billion from citizens in 2023. Governments owe greater diligence—$87 billion in HHS losses overshadows any individual’s $5.37 deduction. Citizens endure exhaustive accountability; governments should exceed it. Comprehensive, transaction-level transparency is not merely equitable—it is essential.
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