Teen Becomes Youngest Member Of Sacramento Taxpayers Association

A local teenager is one of the youngest members in the country of any taxpayer watchdog group.

Manson Tung, 16, has an answer for all things tax-related.

Where most people might see boring paperwork and tedious hours spent filling out forms and punching in numbers, this Sacramento Country Day High School sophomore sees an opportunity to expand his knowledge of how our tax system works—or doesn't work.

"If we lowered taxes, I think we would generate more business in this state," he said.

That's just one of his strong opinions. He has others.

"Obviously our tax rates are so high, the amount of bureaucracy is—the amount of red tape you have to cut through to do anything in this state is ridiculous," he said.

His passion bucket is overflowing. He recently became the youngest member of the Sacramento Taxpayers Association.

"I've always been interested in both politics and finances," he said.

Now he wants to get his fellow teens interested in where their money goes.

"Almost all my friends, they don't care about taxes," he said. "It's something Mommy and Daddy do and take care of, and they just want to get a Jamba Juice and Chipotle."

Manson has an appetite for change.

"I love the whole flat tax idea, as in percentage-wise," he said.

As for his bright future, he plans to be an attorney and businessman, then run for political office.