by Mises Institute
Mises.org
Friday was tax day, which — for the non-Keynesians among us — often serves as a useful reminder of the burden imposed on us by the state. Of course, as Ryan McMaken reminds us, income taxes are only one piece of the puzzle — with every cent government spends representing cost taxpayers in one form or another. As Ludwig von Mises wrote in Human Action, “The metamorphosis of taxes into weapons of destruction is the mark of present-day public finance.” If only the United States would have heeded the wisdom of the Antifederalist Brutus, our government wouldn’t have the taxing powers it enjoys today — and perhaps be less likely to ruin our seafood.