Art Buchwald: Tax Things Not Taxed Before
on Wednesday, April 6, 2016Art Buchwald Money Quote saying reform is removing taxes, then placing them on new sources. Art Buchwald said:
“Tax reform is taking the taxes off things that have been taxed in the past and putting taxes on things that haven’t been taxed before” — Art Buchwald
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In this quote, Art Buchwald is satirically commenting on the nature of tax reform efforts. While tax reform aims to simplify or improve the tax code, Buchwald suggests the actual practice often involves removing taxes from some established areas and then imposing new taxes elsewhere to make up for lost revenue.
His perspective implies that “reform” sometimes means shifting the tax burden around rather than substantive change. Buchwald also hints that reforms still need to generate adequate funds, so new levies may be placed on things not previously taxed.
Overall, the quote takes a wry, cynical view of tax reform as a process that can entail removing taxes from some areas in name only, while covertly introducing fresh taxes elsewhere to maintain overall tax intake. Buchwald aims to highlight the political trade-offs and potential lack of meaningful reform behind some tax changes.
Birthday: October 22, 1917 – Death: December 15, 2013