Bill's Comments

Edward Gibbon, in "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," on page 454, makes the following observation:

In the sixth year of his reign Constantine visited the city of Autun, and generously remitted the arrears of tribute, reducing at the same time the proportion of their assessment from twenty-five to eighteen thousand heads, subject to the real and personal capitation. Yet even this indulgence affords the most unquestionable proof of the public misery. This tax was so extremely oppressive, either in itself or in the mode of collecting it, that, whilst the revenue was increased by extortion [on the people], it was diminished by despair [of the people, bk]: a considerable part of the territory of Autun was left uncultivated; and great numbers of the provincials rather chose to live as exiles and outlaws than to support the weight of civil society.

Apparently one of the requirements to be a politician is to never learn from the past. History is replete with excessive taxation leading to the destruction of a society.

We are well on our way with the current administration. Do they not realize that the rich that they expect to stand still and be slaughtered economically, will find ways to avoid paying excessive taxes, even to becoming non-citizens? The attempt to tax foreign earnings was an attempt to close a loop-hole of the rich. It won't work. Those with real riches will find ways to secure them from the tax collector.