Thomas Jefferson Quotes

The laying of taxes is the power, and the general welfare the purpose for which the power is to be exercised. They are not to lay taxes ad libitum for any purpose they please; but only to pay the debts or provide for the welfare of the Union.

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?

It is unfortunately none too well understood that, just as the State has no money of its own, so it has no power of its own.

Besides, we had a large debt, contracted at home and abroad in our War of Independence; therefore the great power of taxation was conferred upon this Government.

Provision of facilities to the masses is linked with the collection of taxes.

I believe that the GST is for the good of the people.

It is time to recognize a simple fact of life. Contrary to what some of my colleagues seem to believe, tax cuts do not pay for themselves.

We in Scotland need fiscal responsibility. Quite simply, we need to be responsible for what we raise in tax and what we spend in tax.

In the current law we're seeing Social Security dwindle. And so what we're saying is if we're going to reduce taxes we just want to make sure that there are things within the law that pay for it.

I think governments can't do much.

The problem is not that people are taxed too little, the problem is that government spends too much.

To tax and to please, no more than to love and to be wise, is not given to men.

The breadth and comprehensiveness of the words of the Constitution are nowhere more strikingly exhibited than in regard to the powers, over the subjects of revenue, finance, and currency

The art of government consists in taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.

The great middle class basically pays the bills of our society through the taxes.

Taxes are what pays for a civilized society.

We have taxes so we can educate our kids, take care of our elderly.

Anybody can balance a budget if they raise taxes.

Government is to divide the community into two great classes: one consisting of those who, in reality, pay the taxes and, of course, bear exclusively the burden of supporting the government; and the other, of those who are the recipients of their proceeds through disbursements, and who are, in fact, supported by the government; or, in fewer words, to divide it into tax payers and tax-consumers…. The effect, then, of every increase is to enrich and strengthen the one [the net tax-consumers], and to impoverish and weaken the other [the net tax-payers.

How can one govern without taxes, without strength, without authority?

The role of government is to tax the people to the least extent possible while still taxing them enough to cover the basic needs for government.

The money that government spends is your money, not government's, and you know how to spend it better.

There's a lot of stuff out there that government shouldn't do.

Washington does not tax too little: it spends way too much.

We sincerely believed that we don't tax too little in Washington. We spend too much.