When a new source of taxation is found it never means, in practice, that the old source is abandoned. It merely means that the politicians have two ways of milking the taxpayer where they had one before.
Interpretation
The introduction of new taxes often leads to the continuation of existing ones, increasing the burden on taxpayers.
H. L. Mencken's quote highlights the tendency of political systems to expand taxation rather than simplify it. When a new tax is introduced, it rarely replaces an old tax; instead, it adds to the financial obligations of taxpayers, allowing politicians to extract more resources without reducing previous levies. This illustrates a broader critique of government fiscal policies and the behavior of politicians in managing public finances, often prioritizing revenue generation over taxpayer relief.
In practice
During a debate on fiscal policy, one might use this quote to emphasize the need for tax reform.
I know a good many men of great learning-that is, men born with an extraordinary eagerness and capacity to acquire knowledge. One and all, they tell me that they can't recall learning anything of any value in school. All that schoolmasters managed to accomplish with them was to test and determine the amount of knowledge that they had already acquired independently-and not infrequently the determination was made clumsily and inaccurately.
It takes a long while for a naturally trustful person to reconcile himself to the idea that after all God will not help him
It is the theory of all modern civilized governments that they protect and foster the liberty of the citizen; it is the practice of all of them to limit its exercise, and sometimes very narrowly.
The central belief of every moron is that he is the victim of a mysterious conspiracy against his common rights and true deserts.
The cure for the evils of democracy is more democracy.
It is my conviction that no normal man ever fell in love, within the ordinary meaning of the term, after the age of thirty.
What I think is fair to say is that, coming out of the Republican camp, there have been efforts to suggest that perhaps I'm not who I say I am when it comes to my faith - something which I find deeply offensive, and that has been going on for a pretty long time.
It is dressed into speeches about patriotism, love of country...but the profits...skyrocket.
I don't think we can have democracies that work where most of the people are not benefiting economically, where most of the people are worried about their job security.
I have always seen the United States as a force of good. And I have learned that there is the idealistic part about what we can do at the U.N. and there is a doable part. And I have learned what is more doable.
The only sure bulwark of continuing liberty is a government strong enough to protect the interests of the people, and a people strong enough and well enough informed to maintain its sovereign control over the goverment.
One of the chief symptoms of every revolution is the sharp and sudden increase in the number of ordinary people who take an active, independent and forceful interest in politics.
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