--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's nothing wrong with paying taxes…" description: "\"There's nothing wrong with paying taxes; they should be paid in proportion to how rich you are. This idea that you're going to get better growth by cut..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/john-ralston-saul-3128_capitalism_there-s-nothing-wrong-with-paying-taxes_2874471.jpg" --- # There's nothing wrong with paying taxes; they should be… ![“There's nothing wrong with paying taxes; they should be paid in proportion to how rich you are. This idea that you're going to get better growth by cutting taxes at the top has no historical justification. And it's certainly not an argument in favor of capitalism.” quote by John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/john-ralston-saul-3128_capitalism_there-s-nothing-wrong-with-paying-taxes_2874471.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/john-ralston-saul-3128_capitalism_there-s-nothing-wrong-with-paying-taxes_2874471.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/john-ralston-saul-3128_capitalism_there-s-nothing-wrong-with-paying-taxes_2874471.jpg) > “There's nothing wrong with paying taxes; they should be paid in proportion to how rich you are. This idea that you're going to get better growth by cutting taxes at the top has no historical justification. And it's certainly not an argument in favor of capitalism.” [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Taxes should be progressive; cutting top rates doesn’t guarantee growth and lacks historical support. **In simple terms:** Progressive taxes are fair. Key Takeaway Advocate equitable tax policy. Themes tax policy economics fairness Mood analytical balanced Type policy economic When to use this quote - budget planning - legislative debate - public advocacy Key Concepts public finance political theory Questions to Reflect On - What evidence supports progressive taxation? - How to address growth concerns? A Different Perspective Political opposition may argue growth benefits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Capitalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) [Cutting Taxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cutting-taxes-701322/) [Favor Capitalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/favor-capitalism-3949689/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [Paying taxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paying-taxes/) [Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich/) [Taxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxes/) [Taxes Paid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxes-paid-1301603/) ## Related quotes > [Taxes are paid in the sweat of every man who labors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/taxes-are-paid-in-the-sweat-of-every-man-who-labors/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [I'm cutting taxes. We're going to grow the economy. It's going to grow at a record rate of growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-cutting-taxes-we-re-going-to-grow-the-economy-it-s-going-to-grow/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Two things suck about becoming an adult male - paying taxes and getting a finger in your butt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-code/two-things-suck-about-becoming-an-adult-male-paying-taxes-and-getting/) [Guy Code](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-code/) > [This is government's primary function - to keep us safe - and when large percentages in America don't feel safe, they start asking: What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-schumer/this-is-government-s-primary-function-to-keep-us-safe-and-when-large/) [Charles Schumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-schumer/) > [I'm paying more taxes inside my company and personally than I'll ever receive from Congress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markwayne-mullin/i-m-paying-more-taxes-inside-my-company-and-personally-than-i-ll-ever/) [Markwayne Mullin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markwayne-mullin/) > [I don't see why a man shouldn't pay an inheritance tax. If a Country is good enough to pay taxes to while you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/i-don-t-see-why-a-man-shouldn-t-pay-an-inheritance-tax-if-a-country/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [If I had the day off and knew everyone else was voting, I wouldn't miss it. It would become a routine part of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-grant/if-i-had-the-day-off-and-knew-everyone-else-was-voting-i-wouldn-t/) [Adam Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-grant/) > [I have no problem paying taxes. It doesn't bother me, because I want to live in a society that's happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-meaden/i-have-no-problem-paying-taxes-it-doesn-t-bother-me-because-i-want-to/) [Deborah Meaden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-meaden/) > [ Look at what I am proposing, and we \[wih Bernie Sanders\] have a vigorous agreement here. We both want to reign in the excesses… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/look-at-what-i-am-proposing-and-we-wih-bernie-sanders-have-a-vigorous/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The people who are working, paying their taxes are put into the system so that affordable housing could be built in neighborhoods that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bolling/the-people-who-are-working-paying-their-taxes-are-put-into-the-system/) [Eric Bolling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bolling/) > [Most people I know have had problems paying their taxes. I am just like everybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caputo/most-people-i-know-have-had-problems-paying-their-taxes-i-am-just/) [Michael Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caputo/) > [Taxes are paid in the sweat of every man who labors. If those taxes are excessive, they are reflected in idle factories, in tax-sold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/taxes-are-paid-in-the-sweat-of-every-man-who-labors-if-those-taxes/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [“A gentleman doesn’t talk much about the taxes he paid, or the women he sleeps with.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/a-gentleman-doesn-t-talk-much-about-the-taxes-he-paid-or-the-women-he/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [We owe something to the government to grow up in this great country. I'm tired of hearing people in the private sector talk like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-dean/we-owe-something-to-the-government-to-grow-up-in-this-great-country-i/) [Howard Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-dean/) > [Americans have got to understand that we are paying present-day retirees with the taxes paid by young workers in America today. And that's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/americans-have-got-to-understand-that-we-are-paying-present-day/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) ## More by John Ralston Saul > [Of course, corporations and governments have a right to something for their money. They pay the wages. But they don't have the ethical right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/of-course-corporations-and-governments-have-a-right-to-something-for/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [Some people don't like the 'comeback' because that suggests they went somewhere, which they didn't. That isn't what I mean. In my mind, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/some-people-don-t-like-the-comeback-because-that-suggests-they-went/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [In the humanist ideal, the mainstream is where interesting debate, the generating of new ideas and creativity take place. In rational society this mainstream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/in-the-humanist-ideal-the-mainstream-is-where-interesting-debate-the/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [There's two ways of dealing with fears of mortality. One of them is to hide, so every day you wear the same suit and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/there-s-two-ways-of-dealing-with-fears-of-mortality-one-of-them-is-to/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [A foreigner is an individual who is considered either comic or sinister. When the victim of a disaster - preferably natural but sometimes political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/a-foreigner-is-an-individual-who-is-considered-either-comic-or/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [Rights are a protection from society. But only by fulfilling their obligations to society can the individual give meaning to that protection. (V -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/rights-are-a-protection-from-society-but-only-by-fulfilling-their/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [All the lessons of psychiatry, psychology, social work, indeed culture, have taught us over the last hundred years that it is the acceptance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/all-the-lessons-of-psychiatry-psychology-social-work-indeed-culture/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [The neo-conservatives, who are closely linked to the neo-corporatists, are rather different. They claim to be conservatives, when everything they stand for is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/the-neo-conservatives-who-are-closely-linked-to-the-neo-corporatists/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [Armaments; extremely useful for fighting wars, a deadweight in any civil economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/armaments-extremely-useful-for-fighting-wars-a-deadweight-in-any/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [In the European tradition, rivers are seen as divisions between peoples. But in the Aboriginal tradition, rivers are seen as the glue, the highway,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/in-the-european-tradition-rivers-are-seen-as-divisions-between/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [“Basic technical training is, of course, useful. But to treat it as anything more than that is to lock students into technology that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/basic-technical-training-is-of-course-useful-but-to-treat-it-as/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [Bankers - pillars of society who are going to hell if there is a God and He has been accurately quoted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/bankers-pillars-of-society-who-are-going-to-hell-if-there-is-a-god/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [If allowed to run free of the social system, capitalism will attempt to corrupt and undermine democracy, which is after all not a natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/if-allowed-to-run-free-of-the-social-system-capitalism-will-attempt/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [For about 125 years, give or take, the Canadian government has acted extremely badly - even in a way which should be called evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/for-about-125-years-give-or-take-the-canadian-government-has-acted/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [Ten geographers who think the world is flat will tend to reinforce each other's errors ... Only a sailor can set them straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/ten-geographers-who-think-the-world-is-flat-will-tend-to-reinforce/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) [Explore all 139 John Ralston Saul quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) ## More Capitalism quotes > [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. It is open markets, it is capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/don-t-let-s-lose-sight-of-what-creates-wealth-it-is-open-markets-it/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [ Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a \[Soviet socialistic\] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-national-socialism-have-anything/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [Corporations have nothing to do with values, and they know it, and sometimes say it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kierans/corporations-have-nothing-to-do-with-values-and-they-know-it-and/) [Eric Kierans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kierans/) > [Both fact and logic seem to me to support the view that savings invested in privately owned economic tools of production amount to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-a-harper/both-fact-and-logic-seem-to-me-to-support-the-view-that-savings/) [F. A. Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-a-harper/) > [The free market is ugly and stupid, like going to the mall; the unfree market is just as ugly and just as stupid, except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-free-market-is-ugly-and-stupid-like-going-to-the-mall-the-unfree/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Capitalism, communism ... it's all garbage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/capitalism-communism-it-s-all-garbage/) [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) > [There are no two countries with the same style of economic mechanism, with the same capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/there-are-no-two-countries-with-the-same-style-of-economic-mechanism/) [Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/) > [It is more than a little ironic that "capital accumulation" once a rather tendentious Marxian view of a supposed capitalist obsession, should have become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kuttner/it-is-more-than-a-little-ironic-that-capital-accumulation-once-a/) [Robert Kuttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kuttner/) > [Historically, usury was defined as any interest whatever on an unproductive loan.Our whole banking system I have ever abhorred, I continue to abhor, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/historically-usury-was-defined-as-any-interest-whatever-on-an/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [Socialism is humanity's second nature. All politicians do is turn human vice into votes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/socialism-is-humanity-s-second-nature-all-politicians-do-is-turn/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [“Scholars have long debated whether capital markets lead to appropriate levels of saving and investment for future generations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-l-weimer/scholars-have-long-debated-whether-capital-markets-lead-to/) [David L. Weimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-l-weimer/) > [“A car is one of the most interesting inventions, but driving is one of the most boring activities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-car-is-one-of-the-most-interesting-inventions-but-driving-is-one-of/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) [Browse all 3,832 Capitalism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's nothing wrong with paying taxes; they should be paid in proportion to how rich you are. This idea that you're going to get better growth by cutting taxes at the top has no historical justification. And it's certainly not an argument in favor of capitalism.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Ralston Saul" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-paying-taxes-they-should-be-paid-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Capitalism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-paying-taxes-they-should-be-paid-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/john-ralston-saul-3128_capitalism_there-s-nothing-wrong-with-paying-taxes_2874471.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/john-ralston-saul-3128_capitalism_there-s-nothing-wrong-with-paying-taxes_2874471.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/john-ralston-saul-3128_capitalism_there-s-nothing-wrong-with-paying-taxes_2874471.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There's nothing wrong with paying taxes; they should be paid in proportion to how rich you are. This idea…” — John Ralston Saul", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "John Ralston Saul", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There's nothing wrong with paying taxes;...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-paying-taxes-they-should-be-paid-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-paying-taxes-they-should-be-paid-in/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```