Should Medal Of Honor winners be exempt from Income taxes?

I have served (US Air Force 1988-1998) and am 10% disabled.

And I say No.

Besides, they are, in a way, already "tax free". Every MOH winner, or their widows, have full base rights which includes tax free everything on base. They are also entitled to base medical care, as well as first in line at the VA (not the family members, just the MOA. They and purple hearts are first, then 50% to 100% disabled (military caused), then 10% to 49%, then all other veterans). I am tiar 3 (there are actually 6 tiars but I can't remember them all).

The kids have the same until age 18 (excluding VA).

The thing that shouts out to me is the "Equal Protection under the Law". That if one is able to do something by law, then all have the right to do the same, by law. Yes, I know, we see abuse of this all the time (like LEO national CCW) but if we just keep allowing this to happen then us (you and I) will be the ones that are considered "third class citizens" and we will have all our "masters" above us controlling our lives.

Like I said, I served (got the 214 to prove it also) and I still say, No.

Wayne
 
OK- I'll expand upon that with my beliefs. Joining the military when the country doesn't need you is a job choice. Staying or joining when your country does need you is YOUR DUTY. Every man has considered whether his country needed him at one point or another. Some followed the inner voice, some did not. Those that did can walk proud. They don't need a tax deduction or exemption. They did their duty. Whether they fried eggs over-medium in the chow line at breakfast for seven hundred men, or whether they rode camels deep into enemy lines to identify threats, none are better than the others. True, some risked more, but everyone did their duty who answered the call.

Those are the men who don't have to have doubts about their manhood nor their patriotism. I think a tax exemption would diminish the medal more than it would enhance the man. A tax exemption you can place a dollar value on. What dollar value do you place on "Conspicuous gallantry"? You simply cannot. The men who earned any medal while in service to their country, and those who served but did not earn medals, they are all men. There is no question about it.

How unfortunate to have grown up and not had the opportunity to serve your country in one capacity or another.

I know some who serve by simply paying their taxes and keeping this a country worth serving. Veterans don't need handouts nor do they need payments unless their post-service life was diminished by injuries sustained in the line of duty. What Veteran's deserve is respect.

Growing up, I only had veterans who came before me to look up to. I respected them and wondered if I would be able to endure what they endured, and I wondered what made them do it? Now the new veterans are coming home, and I see that most are 10 years younger than I and I still look up to them. I imagine that there are those here who might be in their 60's, 70's and 80's and they look at one of these 22 year olds stepping off the plane and they too feel like they are seeing somebody worth respecting.

MOH winners are incredible, but so are the guys who keep the checks coming from DFAS.
 
Yea and why not? If he takes the risks joins the infantry,goes Ranger or Special Oerations,Seal, demolition or Green Beret. And goes into combat gets wounded in an arm or a leg or both. Why should the soldiers who do the extreamly dangerous and dirty work at the risk of there own lives recieve the same benifits as the soldier who delivers the mail to his hospital bed?
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If you were replying to my post, either you didn't read the previous posts, or you didn't understand what I meant by "Successful". Someone suggested that Medal of Honor recipients should get tax breaks for life. I said that a successful person, ie. someone who makes a lot of money, should not be financially rewarded more than the Medal of Honor recipient who comes back from the war and works for minimum wage for the rest of his life (or worse, like the example I gave). To put it more simply: Medal of Honor recipients who make a lot of money should not be allowed to pay the government less in taxes than poor Medal of Honor Recipients. And again, a Medal of Honor in one unit could be a DSC or Silver Star, or even nothing at all in another unit. Not fair, but that's the way it is. As far as I know, you don't get a Medal Of Honor just for being wounded in the arm or leg. Even if you're John Kerry.
 
Giving MOH winners lifetime tax freedom would be the same as granting titles ofnobility. (No, I'm not going to spend all morning explaining why; go look it up in your medieval history textbook.)

U. S. Constitution; Article I; Section 9; Clause 8 and Section 10; Clause 1

Section 9...
No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States: and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.

Section 10. No state shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation; grant letters of marque and reprisal; coin money; emit bills of credit; make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts; pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts, or grant any title of nobility.
 
I know some who serve by simply paying their taxes and keeping this a country worth serving. Veterans don't need handouts nor do they need payments unless their post-service life was diminished by injuries sustained in the line of duty. What Veteran's deserve is respect.
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kjm,
I greed with what you posted and I am beginning to have second thoughts. The part about the MOH recipients not needing a tax break to feel pride, I agree with. But the part where you said that they deserve respect made me think that giving them a tax break in would be a way to 'show!' respect. After reading everyones posts I realise that my support for a tax break in addition to a monetary reward for MOH recipients was an emotional response not followed up by considering the ramifications and/or justifications. But I still "feel" that they should get a tax break on their military pensions. As a matter of fact I think that all military pensions should be tax exempt. It is not a matter of giving them a break on taxes, so much as it is a matter of the fact that they already have (gladly) paid their dues to this country and we all owe them.

I am questioning my thoughts on this extra monetary recognition now though (but not the tax-free pensions). There have been some very good points from both sides (IMHO).
 
No tax breaks. Honor and respect, a BIG YES! If we only had a flat tax with NO exemptions except for kids or dependant adults.... things would work out better in the long run. It levels out the marriage penalty, the less fortunate pay less than the rich, same tax rate on all income. No tax on estates as the money was already taxed.
 
the less fortunate pay less than the rich, same tax rate on all income.
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In my own sick little world, I don't believe the less fortunate exist in this country. We all have opportunities. I could've gone to college right after HS, but enlisted instead. I made a bunch of bad decisions that put me where I was a few years ago. I am now making better ones and I am also reaping the benefits. Fortune has nothing to do with success. Preparation has everything to do with it.

It was a great point earlier in the thread that a lot of MOH's were given for stuff that in another unit or another service might only get you a Distinguished Service Cross or a Soldiers Medal. Politics has a lot to do with what award you might get and for what. The more unpopular a war, the more the medals get inflated. I think the MOH is actually in a period of deflation right now, but really- Sergeant Smith cannot be the only one who has done this level of heroism. Maybe more medals are in the pipe, maybe not. At least the MOH hasn't been inflated so badly that they have to come up with a MOH with "V" device (Valor) yet!

I don't know how I feel about exempting pensions for retirees. All soldiers are usually exempted from income tax (on their salaries) while they are in a combat zone, and I've heard Rush talk about exempting all military salaries as a way to give a pay-boost, but I'm still wishy-washy on that. Growing up, my folks used to pound in my head that the base-line duties of a citizen were paying taxes, serving on juries if called, and serving in the military if needed. I don't know if a tax exemption for military personnel is a good idea or not (except the one already noted- combat duty, which has been in existence since the income tax itself).
 
Another thing poped into my head. Again, all the vets I know don't upplay their status. Most just want to be viewed as normal people. Would they even want this? Were they fighting to be treated differently?
 
I'm gonna guess they'd take it....at least some of them anyay.........I know one guy who is trying to get his 2 Silver Stars from Korea ugraded to the MOH.....
 
I love the idea

But, I can just imagine how every officer from Captain upwards will find a way to be 'awarded' that medal.
During the civil war thousands of MOH's were given away as incentives for some troops to re- up when their enlistments expired.
 
The MOH started out pretty inflated, but now the criteria to obtain one is so impressive that it is the next best thing to being granted a title of nobility.

What about former POW's? You wanna talk about a guy who suffered for his country, the Vietnamese and Japanese weren't exactly nice to these men. Some of them suffered incredible tortures for their country, and they are no less deserving of respect than the MOH recipients. Again, Vets deserve respect. No more, no less.
 
In 2001 Virginia exempted the military pensions of MOH winners from state income taxes. 642 people have claimed the deduction. There are only 4 MOH holders in Virginia. There is an ongoing investigation into the other 638 claimants.
 
I'm dead-set against exemption from income tax for holders of the MoH, for reasons well-articulated by others in this thread. Specifically, MeekAndMild hit the nail on the head; it would be a patent of nobility.

That being said, I am just as completely in favor of all military pensions being tax-exempt, if for no other reason than it makes sense: this is income which is taken out of taxes on the general populace, why on earth should it be, in turn, taxed? This should be independent of whether the inidividual has earned a MoH.

The real key is that MoH holders aren't better people than me because they earned the MoH, they earned the MoH because they're better people than me. But everyone, no matter how heroic or venal, should be equal in the eyes of the law. If we're really concerned about the financial well-being of holder of the Medal of Honor, then increase the stipend, don't create a special tax-exempt class of citizens.
 
One thing about such heroics is that the people who do these super-human actions usually do so without thought of the consequences. A split-second decision drives an action and then those who survive are surpised that such a big deal is made of it. You just never know who will do what and under what circumstances they do it under. Many MOH recipients were not even very good soldiers and then wham! the did the heroic. I don't know of many who set out to win the MOH. It just happens.

Fascinating stuff.
 
You guys go ahead. I'll keep paying my taxes as a member of a control group and ya'll can be the experimental group. If after 10 years, nothing happens to you, and if you have amassed great wealth, I will then stop paying!

Until then, I'm staying here in the control group.
 
JEFNVK said: "If you are so chariatiable, lets give all veterans a tax break. What about all those that fought as hard, but didn't do something spectacular? Don't tax them on military earnings. Don't tax them on money they get because of the medal. Don't tax them on their military pension. But something that has nothing to do with the medal, a job they hold in the future, why should they be exempt? To me, the reward simply does not fit the act. "

I have to agree with this. There are many WWII vets and Vietnam Vets that did above and beyond the call of duty heroic things that never got witnessed or that never left them incapcitated...which doesn't make them or their unwitnessed deeds any less honorable or heroic than the one who receives the MOH.

I agree with JEFNVK that there should be no taxes on military related earnings or earnings as a direct result of getting the MOH. However, earnings of a civialin nature need to be taxed.
 
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