--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It’s as if the concept of taxation as…" description: "\"“It’s as if the concept of taxation as theft—rather than as a shared burden that all should contribute toward as the cost of maintaining a civil societ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/bruce-bartlett-27847_civil-society_it-s-as-if-the-concept-of-taxation-as-th_1038855.jpg" --- # It’s as if the concept of taxation as theft—rather than as… ![“It’s as if the concept of taxation as theft—rather than as a shared burden that all should contribute toward as the cost of maintaining a civil society—is now so widely shared that many people applaud those who have figured out how to game the system and pay less than their fair share rather than…” quote by Bruce Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/bruce-bartlett-27847_civil-society_it-s-as-if-the-concept-of-taxation-as-th_1038855.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/bruce-bartlett-27847_civil-society_it-s-as-if-the-concept-of-taxation-as-th_1038855.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/bruce-bartlett-27847_civil-society_it-s-as-if-the-concept-of-taxation-as-th_1038855.jpg) > ““It’s as if the concept of taxation as theft—rather than as a shared burden that all should contribute toward as the cost of maintaining a civil society—is now so widely shared that many people applaud those who have figured out how to game the system and pay less than their fair share rather than condemn them as social parasites who claim society’s benefits without paying for them.”” [Bruce Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bartlett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Taxation is framed as theft, leading people to justify evasion instead of seeing it as a civic duty. **In simple terms:** Tax evasion seen as clever, not harmful. Key Takeaway Consider the moral impact of tax avoidance. Themes economics ethics politics Mood critical thoughtful Type political economic When to use this quote - government budgeting - public services - tax reform Key Concepts tax policy social contract public finance Questions to Reflect On - What motivates people to evade taxes? - How can societies promote fair contribution? A Different Perspective Not everyone sees tax avoidance as harmful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civil society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-society/) [Claim Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/claim-society-2417027/) [Concept Taxation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concept-taxation-2417025/) [Fair share](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fair-share/) [Taxation Theft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxation-theft-1738542/) [Theft Shared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theft-shared-2417026/) ## Related quotes > [“Taxation is theft, purely and simply even though it is theft on a grand and colossal scale which no acknowledged criminals could hope to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-n-rothbard/taxation-is-theft-purely-and-simply-even-though-it-is-theft-on-a/) [Murray N. Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-n-rothbard/) > [“The State obtains its revenue by coercion, by threatening dire penalties should the income not be forthcoming. That coercion is known as “taxation,” although…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-n-rothbard/the-state-obtains-its-revenue-by-coercion-by-threatening-dire/) [Murray N. Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-n-rothbard/) > [Inflation is taxation and taxation is theft that takes more money out of hard-working Americans' pocket books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-boebert/inflation-is-taxation-and-taxation-is-theft-that-takes-more-money-out/) [Lauren Boebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-boebert/) > [I think coercive taxation is theft, and government has a moral duty to keep it to a minimum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/i-think-coercive-taxation-is-theft-and-government-has-a-moral-duty-to/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [“What is remarkable in Burke’s first performance,” wrote his great nineteenth-century biographer John Morley, “is his discernment of the important fact that behind the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-levin/what-is-remarkable-in-burke-s-first-performance-wrote-his-great/) [Yuval Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-levin/) > [It's clear that it is in the best interest of business to be part of the conservation, along with governments and civil society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/it-s-clear-that-it-is-in-the-best-interest-of-business-to-be-part-of/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Arresting opposition leaders and restricting civil society will not stop people from protesting, but it can create leaderless movements that leave no one with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-malinowski/arresting-opposition-leaders-and-restricting-civil-society-will-not/) [Tom Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-malinowski/) > [“Remember what the fashion big mouths were saying about Jessica Simpson? 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They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) ## More by Bruce Bartlett > [Up until 1986, the top marginal rate, the top statutory rate was 50 percent. Now it's 35 percent. And all the pressure is on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bartlett/up-until-1986-the-top-marginal-rate-the-top-statutory-rate-was-50/) [Bruce Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bartlett/) > [“I think Republicans should fight for the black vote and blacks should fight for a place in the Republican Party, just as they fought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bartlett/i-think-republicans-should-fight-for-the-black-vote-and-blacks-should/) [Bruce Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bartlett/) > [“it is generally considered to be the best tax ever invented. It raises more revenue at less economic cost than any other tax. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bartlett/it-is-generally-considered-to-be-the-best-tax-ever-invented-it-raises/) [Bruce Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bartlett/) > [Many of my sharpest critics have decided to take a position of ignoring me - because they feel that by attacking me, they would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bartlett/many-of-my-sharpest-critics-have-decided-to-take-a-position-of/) [Bruce Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bartlett/) > [“it took two full years for final congressional action on the Tax Reform Act of 1986 after the Treasury had already done a thorough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bartlett/it-took-two-full-years-for-final-congressional-action-on-the-tax/) [Bruce Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bartlett/) > [“Tax reform may present another opportunity to address these issues and perhaps improve both the tax system and the health care system at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bartlett/tax-reform-may-present-another-opportunity-to-address-these-issues/) [Bruce Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bartlett/) > [Republicans favor tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, but these had no stimulative effect during the George W. Bush administration, and there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bartlett/republicans-favor-tax-cuts-for-the-wealthy-and-corporations-but-these/) [Bruce Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bartlett/) > [People are increasingly concerned about unemployment, but Republicans have nothing to offer them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bartlett/people-are-increasingly-concerned-about-unemployment-but-republicans/) [Bruce Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bartlett/) > [So I think we shouldn't be overly concerned about the decline in personal saving at this particular moment and time, but it's something we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bartlett/so-i-think-we-shouldn-t-be-overly-concerned-about-the-decline-in/) [Bruce Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bartlett/) > [With all due respect to Speaker Hastert, trying to eliminate the IRS by adopting a national retail sales tax is a very dumb idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bartlett/with-all-due-respect-to-speaker-hastert-trying-to-eliminate-the-irs/) [Bruce Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bartlett/) > [Rick Perry's an idiot, and I don't think anyone would disagree with that,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bartlett/rick-perry-s-an-idiot-and-i-don-t-think-anyone-would-disagree-with/) [Bruce Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bartlett/) > [The break for me was the Medicare drug benefit in 2003. It's just grossly expensive, bad policy. After that, I no longer gave them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bartlett/the-break-for-me-was-the-medicare-drug-benefit-in-2003-it-s-just/) [Bruce Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bartlett/) > [The conservative side of our political spectrum has had an outsized voice over the last few years. I think especially since the establishment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bartlett/the-conservative-side-of-our-political-spectrum-has-had-an-outsized/) [Bruce Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bartlett/) > [The problem we have had on the budget all along is a lack of adult supervision on the part of the White House. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bartlett/the-problem-we-have-had-on-the-budget-all-along-is-a-lack-of-adult/) [Bruce Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bartlett/) > [Democrats will play the old Washington game of calling reductions in the rate of growth of spending for any program a 'cut'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bartlett/democrats-will-play-the-old-washington-game-of-calling-reductions-in/) [Bruce Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bartlett/) [Explore all 20 Bruce Bartlett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bartlett/) ## More Civil society quotes > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. 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Good governance is a political process. Though role of civil society is critical, without political will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/for-achieving-good-governance-political-will-is-necessary-good/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [“Remember what the fashion big mouths were saying about Jessica Simpson? Looking at her magazine pictures, sucking their teeth, going, "Oh, look at her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/remember-what-the-fashion-big-mouths-were-saying-about-jessica/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [Arresting opposition leaders and restricting civil society will not stop people from protesting, but it can create leaderless movements that leave no one with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-malinowski/arresting-opposition-leaders-and-restricting-civil-society-will-not/) [Tom Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-malinowski/) > [It's clear that it is in the best interest of business to be part of the conservation, along with governments and civil society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/it-s-clear-that-it-is-in-the-best-interest-of-business-to-be-part-of/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [“What is remarkable in Burke’s first performance,” wrote his great nineteenth-century biographer John Morley, “is his discernment of the important fact that behind the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-levin/what-is-remarkable-in-burke-s-first-performance-wrote-his-great/) [Yuval Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-levin/) > [Security against foreign danger is one of the primitive objects of civil society. 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