George Bernard Shaw: Taxed vs. Funded
on Sunday, April 10, 2016George Bernard Shaw Tax Quote saying when one group is taxed to fund another, the funded applaud the spending. George Bernard Shaw said:
“A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul” — George Bernard Shaw
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In this quote, George Bernard Shaw is commenting critically on the political implications of redistributive policies. His point is that a government which funds popular programs by taxing some groups (“robbing Peter”) can generally rely on the political backing of the groups receiving the benefits (“paying Paul”).
Shaw suggests that even if the methods of funding are inequitable, taking from one constituency to give to another will tend to guarantee the support of the constituency gaining resources.
In essence, the quote conveys Shaw’s perspective that governments can maintain the backing of voters who benefit from taxation of others, even if the tax policies themselves may not be fair or economically optimal. He acknowledges how the politics of redistribution incentivize favoring some groups over others for the sake of securing political backing.
Birthday: July 26, 1856 – Death: November 2, 1950