--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You could not possibly maintain the…" description: "\"You could not possibly maintain the current level of government taxation without the taxes being hidden, and they are hidden in two very different ways..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec4/milton-friedman-616_business_you-could-not-possibly-maintain-the-curr_1395333.png" --- # You could not possibly maintain the current level of… ![“You could not possibly maintain the current level of government taxation without the taxes being hidden, and they are hidden in two very different ways. They are hidden through withholding, but they are also hidden by being imposed on business, supposedly on business, when really, of course…” quote by Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec4/milton-friedman-616_business_you-could-not-possibly-maintain-the-curr_1395333.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec4/milton-friedman-616_business_you-could-not-possibly-maintain-the-curr_1395333.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec4/milton-friedman-616_business_you-could-not-possibly-maintain-the-curr_1395333.png) > “You could not possibly maintain the current level of government taxation without the taxes being hidden, and they are hidden in two very different ways. They are hidden through withholding, but they are also hidden by being imposed on business, supposedly on business, when really, of course, business can't pay taxes, only people can pay taxes.” [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) ## 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 often concealed through payroll withholding and corporate tax structures, making its burden less visible to individuals. **In simple terms:** Taxes are hidden via payroll and corporate rules. Key Takeaway Recognize hidden tax impacts. Themes economics public policy taxation Mood critical analytical Type explanatory political When to use this quote - personal budgeting - business accounting - policy analysis - public advocacy Key Concepts Fiscal transparency government finance Questions to Reflect On - How do hidden taxes affect public perception? - What reforms could increase tax transparency? A Different Perspective Hidden taxes can be complex to trace and may be justified as necessary revenue. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Funny political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny-political/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Taxation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxation/) [Taxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxes/) ## Related quotes > [Of all the powers conferred upon government, that of taxation is most liable to abuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-freeman-miller/of-all-the-powers-conferred-upon-government-that-of-taxation-is-most/) [Samuel Freeman Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-freeman-miller/) > [I believe in limited government, less taxation and adherence to the Constitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mast/i-believe-in-limited-government-less-taxation-and-adherence-to-the/) [Brian Mast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mast/) > [Well, the economy is still growing slow. 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They are asked to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/what-about-feeling-sorry-for-those-who-pay-the-taxes-those-are-the/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [No matter what anyone may say about making the rich and the corporations pay the taxes, in the end they come out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/no-matter-what-anyone-may-say-about-making-the-rich-and-the-2/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) > [Many years ago, I went with my husband and daughter to Denmark. In those years, you could bring $400 worth of furniture without taxes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-westheimer/many-years-ago-i-went-with-my-husband-and-daughter-to-denmark-in/) [Ruth Westheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-westheimer/) > [When you say the tax system benefits the rich, there are a lot of people who respond, "That can't be true, look at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/when-you-say-the-tax-system-benefits-the-rich-there-are-a-lot-of/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [ \[George Bush\] has raised taxes on the people driving pickup trucks and lowered taxes on the people riding in limousines. We can do better. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/george-bush-has-raised-taxes-on-the-people-driving-pickup-trucks-and/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Let me come back and say, why is it that I don't want to raise taxes? Why don't I want to raise taxes on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/let-me-come-back-and-say-why-is-it-that-i-don-t-want-to-raise-taxes/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [People starve. The rulers consume too much with their taxes. That is why people starve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/people-starve-the-rulers-consume-too-much-with-their-taxes-that-is/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [There are a few things that we can do. One of them is that we can increase the taxes that people are paying who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilhan-omar/there-are-a-few-things-that-we-can-do-one-of-them-is-that-we-can/) [Ilhan Omar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilhan-omar/) > [The more acquisitions the government makes abroad, the more taxes the people have to pay at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-more-acquisitions-the-government-makes-abroad-the-more-taxes-the/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [I think we should have basically the same tax policy that Germany, Japan, the U.K., everybody else has, which is a tax rate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-immelt/i-think-we-should-have-basically-the-same-tax-policy-that-germany/) [Jeffrey R. Immelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-immelt/) ## More by Milton Friedman > [The government solution to a problem is usually as bad as the problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/the-government-solution-to-a-problem-is-usually-as-bad-as-the-problem/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [I believe the role that people like myself have played in the transformation of public opinion has been by persistently presenting a different point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/i-believe-the-role-that-people-like-myself-have-played-in-the/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [To really understand something you've got to reduce it to its principles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/to-really-understand-something-you-ve-got-to-reduce-it-to-its/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [It is a mark of how far we have gone on the road to serfdom that government allocation and rationing of oil is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/it-is-a-mark-of-how-far-we-have-gone-on-the-road-to-serfdom-that/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [Economic freedom is an essential requisite for political freedom. By enabling people to cooperate with one another without coercion or central direction, it reduces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/economic-freedom-is-an-essential-requisite-for-political-freedom-by/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [“The people in one district can choose not to reelect their member of Congress, but that will not change the composition of the government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/the-people-in-one-district-can-choose-not-to-reelect-their-member-of/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [When you have a time of crisis what happens depends on what ideas are floating around, and what ideas have been developed, and thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/when-you-have-a-time-of-crisis-what-happens-depends-on-what-ideas-are/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [The government doesn't have any money. The only power it has is to take from some and give to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/the-government-doesn-t-have-any-money-the-only-power-it-has-is-to/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [What would the people who sold us goods do with the money? They'd get dollars. What would they do with the dollars? Eat them?!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/what-would-the-people-who-sold-us-goods-do-with-the-money-they-d-get/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [World trade depends on differences among countries, not similarities. Different countries are in different stages of development. It is appropriate for them to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/world-trade-depends-on-differences-among-countries-not-similarities/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [Is there some society you know of that doesn't run on greed? You think Russia doesn't run on greed? You think China doesn't run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/is-there-some-society-you-know-of-that-doesn-t-run-on-greed-you-think/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [Well first of all, tell me, is there some society you know of that doesn't run on greed? You think Russia doesn't run on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/well-first-of-all-tell-me-is-there-some-society-you-know-of-that/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [I think almost every economist would agree that government gets itself in trouble when it tries to interfere with voluntary behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/i-think-almost-every-economist-would-agree-that-government-gets/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [It is most attractive about the US to people and countries with wealth is that it can provide security, insurance really, against political instability.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/it-is-most-attractive-about-the-us-to-people-and-countries-with/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [Hong Kong is the bellwether. If the Chinese stick to their agreement to let Hong Kong go its own path, then China will also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/hong-kong-is-the-bellwether-if-the-chinese-stick-to-their-agreement/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) [Explore all 444 Milton Friedman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) ## More Business quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. 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It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. 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(Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. 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