David Cay Johnston Quotes

Government spending is taxation. When you look at this, I've never heard of a poor person spending himself into prosperity; let alone I've never heard of a poor person taxing himself into prosperity.

The idea of abolishing Income Tax is to me highly attractive, both on other grounds and because it tends to public economy.

If the government can make money, what on earth does it collect taxes for you and me for? Why don't it make what money it wants, take the taxes out, and give the balance to us?

We have to deal with two issues. Spending and taxes.

If you increase the sales tax... everybody would be taxed.

The progressive feature of the income tax is the most dangerous element of democracy.

There's a lot of evidence you can sell people on tax increases if they think its an investment.

The power to tax is the power to govern.

We are sending you … to Pannonia Sirmiensis, an old habitation of the Goths. Let that Province be induced to welcome her old defenders, even as she used gladly to obey our ancestors. Show forth the justice of the Goths, a nation happily situated for praise, since it is theirs to unite the forethought of the Romans and the virtue of the Barbarians. Remove all ill planted customs, and impress upon all your subordinates that we would rather that our Treasury lost a suit than that it gained one wrongfully, rather that we lost money than the taxpayer was driven to suicide.

I think corporations should be asked to pay a greater share into the success of this country.

People are taxed enough.

I'm not going to raise taxes.

After Independence, there were periods of very high taxation. So you didn't create wealth, how will you distribute it? When was the first time capital gains tax was introduced? It was 1992 March. Till then, everything was taxed one way.

We have no interest in raising taxes.

Let me tell you, that's what taxation is - it's confiscation. It's your money, it's not the government's money. But the government makes you think that it all comes from them.

Countries, therefore, when lawmaking falls exclusively to the lot of the poor cannot hope for much economy in public expenditure; expenses will always be considerable, either because taxes cannot touch those who vote for them or because they are assessed in a way to prevent that.

You will not see any of your taxes increase one single dime.

In reality, finding a way to raise taxes may well be the central political problem facing the United States.

The Government cannot afford to have a country made up entirely of rich people, because rich people pay so little tax that the Government would quickly go bankrupt. This is why Government men always tell us that labor is man's noblest calling. Government needs labor to pay its upkeep.

I hate putting up taxes.

There is a difference between Senator Obama and Senator McCain. Senator Obama believes that the government ought to be able to take as much as it thinks it needs from anybody.

Donald Trump wants to dramatically reduce America's corporate tax rate (to 15%) and thereby unleash economic growth. Hillary Clinton hasn't said a word about lowering corporate tax rates. Being a Fedzillacrat, you don't need to be an economic soothsayer to know that she supports taxing the producers and further strangling America's anemic economy.

I dislike paying taxes as much as anyone, but yes, taxes are the price of civilization. There is no America without taxes. The question isn't, "Do we want to have taxes?" The question is, "How heavy is the burden, and who bears that burden"?

Here's a brave old reality, taxes don't go away; raising them never generates revenue, never ever ever.

I suggested that countries with tighter finances think about such a [fuel] tax. We don't have the time at the moment for months of discussion.