What would you do with tax money

Objectives

The students can get a taste of the complexity of making political choices. They be more aware where money is coming from (often money that they receive personally and directly or is being invested in them). They might take a first step in being an active, political conscious citizen. And they will get a sense of how they could express their opinion about the choices that the government makes. Additionally they Get familiair with tax systems.

This activity helps:

• Expressing opinions
• Sharing arguments about choices
• Listening to and understanding other arguments (pros and cons of different choices)
• Being introduced to a system that also influences lives

Preparation

Look for material for the introduction (30 minutes)

Instructions

Imagine if participants had the authority to determine how tax money is spent. How would they allocate these funds?

First step: introducing the tax system

To explore this concept, we begin with an introduction to the tax system in their new country of residence.

What is taxation, in simple terms? Not everyone pays the same amount, how does this work? How does the government decide how to spend tax money? To visualize this, you can look for a pie chart on a government website or you can use simple educational videos to inform the participants (for example originally made for pupils of primary or secondary schools).

Second step: dividing tax money yourself

The next step involves dividing the class into smaller groups, each comprising 4 to 5 members. Each group will be provided with printed pictures representing different areas that receive a significant share of tax money. These areas include defense, education, migration, social security, environment and climate, infrastructure, healthcare, police.

Each participant will also receive ten printed fake ten-euro notes (or an equivalent when there is another currency). This exercise encourages them to consider how they would distribute these funds. Afterwards, the group members compare their choices, noting both commonalities and differences and discussing the reasoning behind their decisions.

Third step: discussing the outcome with the complete group

The subsequent step involves the entire class coming together to compare and contrast the differences in allocation among the various groups. The total amount of money spent in each area is tallied and displayed on the board. This exercise helps identify any trends or disparities in their collective decision-making. Participants can then discuss their observations: What stands out? Who agrees with the outcome, and who doesn’t? What significant distinctions exist between their choices and the current government policy?

Last step: how can you express your opinion to the government?

Furthermore, they can explore ways to express their opinions to the government or parliament. Talk about the options: joining a demonstration/protest, sending a message to a member of parliament, becoming a member of a political party, becoming a member or attending a meeting of a trade union or another advocacy group etc. The boundaries might be high to become active, the first step might be just hearing about the options.

If the participants have lower language skills, it’s possible to facilitate shorter conversations, but the activity can still be executed effectively thanks to the visual materials provided (see below).

Variant

It’s possible to repeat the activity but then on the level of the community/expenses of the city/municipality.