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Taxing Now or Borrowing for Later is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on how government pays for what it provides, aligned to Common Core standard D2.Eco.12.3-5. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 6 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Taxing Now or Borrowing for Later

D2.Eco.12.3-5

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.Why is a house built for one family paid for by everybody?
  • A.Houses are cheap
  • B.Families cannot pay
  • C.Because the country decided housing was a public responsibility
2.Why might a government borrow rather than tax for housing?
  • A.Taxes are illegal
  • B.Borrowing is cheaper
  • C.The homes last decades, so the cost can be spread over decades
3.What is the answer to that argument?
  • A.Taxes will fall
  • B.Bad housing costs everybody through illness and lost work
  • C.Everybody moves
4.What is the argument against funding it that way?
  • A.Taxes are complicated
  • B.Councils are slow
  • C.People with homes pay for homes they will never live in
5.What is the difference between taxing and borrowing for a programme?
  • A.Borrowing is free
  • B.Taxing needs no law
  • C.Taxing pays now; borrowing pays later, with interest
6.The white paper says the cost falls on taxation and borrowing. What is taxation?
  • A.Money councils earn
  • B.Money raised from the public to pay for what government provides
  • C.Money the government prints
7.Who ultimately repays money a government borrows?
  • A.Taxpayers, over the years the debt is repaid
  • B.The lenders
  • C.The builders
8.Why can a council not simply build every home its list needs?
  • A.Councils cannot build
  • B.Lists are secret
  • C.Its funds and its materials are both limited, so it must choose

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.12.3-5 · Set 6 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Taxing Now or Borrowing for Later

Set 6. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Because the country decided housing was a public responsibility
  2. 2.The homes last decades, so the cost can be spread over decades
  3. 3.Bad housing costs everybody through illness and lost work
  4. 4.People with homes pay for homes they will never live in
  5. 5.Taxing pays now; borrowing pays later, with interest
  6. 6.Money raised from the public to pay for what government provides
  7. 7.Taxpayers, over the years the debt is repaid
  8. 8.Its funds and its materials are both limited, so it must choose

More practice for D2.Eco.12.3-5

Explain where the government gets the money for what it provides.

Teaching this next? Taxing Now or Borrowing for Later is the 55-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 3 to Grade 5 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Eco.12.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.