| When you fill out your tax return do you ever wonder why blind people get an extra tax break? Certainly being blind is a very bad thing, but is it worse that being a paraplegic or a quadriplegic? I think most of us would agree it is not, but paraplegics and quadriplegics and those afflicted with other terrible diseases don't get a penny tax break. Why is this? The National Federation of the Blind was formed in 1940, and an intensive lobbing effort lead congress in 1944 to enact special consideration for blind persons. President Reagan reduced the extra exemption and now a blind person can add an additional amount to their standard deduction. While no one advocates the elimination of tax breaks for the blind this "tax break" gives a clear view how special interests extract special tax breaks for their constituency. The tax code is replete with examples of special interest tax breaks which we shall point out. |