Paul Craig Roberts Quotes
According to the Tax Foundation, the average American worker works 127 days of the year just to pay his taxes. That means that government owns 36 percent of the average American's output-which is more than feudal serfs owed the robber barons. That 36 percent is more than the average American spends on food, clothing and housing. In other words, if it were not for taxes, the average American's living standard would at least double.
Roberts, Paul Craig. "The Tax Burden and the American Dream." The Washington Times, 22 April 1999.
There are two reasons that government cannot depend on the rich for tax yield. First, there are very few rich compared to middle class workers. Although the rich person may pay more on the average in taxes, than others, there are not enough to cover all the expenses of a modern government. Second, because the rich make larger policitcal contributions and have lobbyists, they get legislation that exempts them from many taxes or provides loopholes. So even though the wealthy are theoretically supposed to pay a higher rate of taxes, as a practical matter, most wealthy people pay a lower tax rate than their secretaries or the waiter who will serve them lunch—the Buffet Principle.
Paul Craig Roberts is an American economist and author. He formerly held a sub-cabinet office in the United States federal government as well as teaching positions at several U.S. universities. He is a promoter of supply-side economics and an opponent of recent U.S. foreign policy.
