In honor of tax day, a look at the best quotes from Ludwig von Mises on taxation:

1. “Some experts have declared that it is necessary to tax the people until it hurts. I disagree with these sadists.”

Every year around tax time, we’re reminded of the pain of the income tax. We’re reminded not just of the wealth that is taken, but also of all the time and energy that must be expended helping the federal government estimate just how much they should take from us this year.

The income tax is just one part of the equation, though. Payroll taxes, corporate taxes, excise taxes, and tariffs are all federal taxes that all of us pay, whether or not one pays what is called the “income tax.”

April 15 is here and we are required to do the following: tell the government our income and send much of it to Washington.

There are numerous well-known definitions of economics, but the one that best captures what economics is about is James Buchanan’s definition, namely: “Economics is the science of markets or exchange institutions.”

Some myths about taxes and taxpayers never go away. Among them is the myth that tax breaks amount to “subsidies.” 

Laurence Vance recently pointed out a particularly oblivious claim made recently by a staffer at National Public Radio who claimed that a tax deducation is the “financial equivalent of the government writing people a check every year.”

The approach of each year’s April 15 tax deadline reminds us that even if one stretches credulity to believe “taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society,” that doesn’t prove the civilization we get is worth the taxes we are forced to pay. But this issue is far from new. More than two centuries ago, the Antifederalists warned us that the price we would have to pay for government would rise. So as we struggle with our IRS forms, and particularly as we write that check to the Treasury (or file for an extension to delay it), what they said merits recalling.

It took a heroic local news anchor from Fargo, North Dakota to expose the fact that crony capitalists have banded together in a “nonprofit” foundation to bribe the political classes of small U.S. cities to support and promote “refugee resettlement” in their cities.

Because confession is good for the soul, I admit that I have become a regular reader of Time magazine. This is not because I consider it an important news source in any sense, but because of its status as the “newsletter of the nation-state,” I find it worth studying if only to keep tabs on (a) what issues the US establishment thinks are important and (b) how it prefers that we think about them.

The other day I met a friend who is a large stockholder in General Motors, and he told me a story. A few weeks before, his son had used somewhat excessive strength on the mixing valve in his bathroom and broke the handle off. The local plumber couldn’t repair it, so he ordered and installed a new valve. The valve turned out to cost $22.50. The installation, at $4 an hour, brought the total up to $100.