This viewpoint, which reflects those of Freedom Communications, was written by the editorial staff at The Brownsville (Texas) Herald.

April 15 — traditionally the most dreaded day of the year since it’s the deadline for filing income tax returns or extension requests — has past. The pain we all feel from heavy taxation remains.

This caused the populist Tea Party movement to arise last year. Hundreds of thousands of people rose up in protest.

The movement has only grown bigger — and angrier — in the past 12 months.

Even as growing numbers of people feel the weight of taxes getting heavier, the Obama administration continues to insist that 97 percent of all Americans enjoyed tax cuts in the past year. But how many of us have felt those cuts ourselves?

The administration points to such programs as the Work Pay Credit and higher earned income and child tax credits. They conveniently don’t add in other taxes that were added to offset those reductions.

In addition, the government is shifting its assessments from direct taxes to indirect charges and fees.

As government spending skyrockets, the need for money to pay for federalized health care, “green energy” initiatives and other programs grows right along with it.

In order to raise that money without invoking the dreaded “T” word, our government already is looking for creative accounting methods. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker, who is now a special financial adviser to the president, have both said that with the growing need for revenue amid a continued recession, all options are on the table.

Lots of options already have been thrown onto the pile. They include new energy charges and “sin” charges on fast foods and other “unhealthy” food options.

All these things are, in government parlance, not direct taxes on the American people, but charges on products and services — which the people pay anyway, at the cash register.

Obviously, government officials recognize that Americans feel overtaxed. The best solution is not to simply hide and rename the assessments, but to stop the taxation.

That can only happen if people stop electing officials based on promises of handouts and favors. More voters need to realize the money that pays for all the government giveaways comes out of their own pockets.

The only way to stop taxation is to stop spending. That kind of change has to originate at the ballot box.