Chief Justice John Marshall: Power to Destroy
on Monday, April 14, 2014John Marshall Money Quotation saying as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court that government has the ability to destroy with taxes. John Marshall said:
“The power to tax involves the power to destroy” — John Marshall
This quote from John Marshall suggests that the power to levy taxes granted to government essentially gives it the ability to demolish or ruin entities on which taxes are imposed. The best interpretation is that Marshall believed taxation, if exercised without limits, could be used destructively by crippling individuals, businesses or other organizations with excessive financial demands that exceed their means.
According to Marshall, the power to tax is so far-reaching that, taken to an extreme, it equates to a power to obliterate taxpayers’ economic viability or even existence through unsustainable levies.
The implication seems to be that taxation power must be balanced and constrained to avoid abuse that could cripple or ruin the tax base from which government itself derives resources. Overall, the quote conveys the potential for taxation to morph from a necessary function into a tyrannical tool if left unchecked.
Birthday: June 1, 1833 – Death: October 14, 1911