Quote
By Calvin Coolidge
The collection of any taxes which are not absolutely required, which do not beyond reasonable doubt contribute to the public welfare, is only a species of legalized larceny.
- Source
- Inaugural Address, March 4, 1925
- Read at
- The American Presidency Project, UC Santa Barbara
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About this quote
From Coolidge's inaugural address on March 4, 1925. The next sentences are: "Under this republic the rewards of industry belong to those who earn them. The only constitutional tax is the tax which ministers to public necessity." The popular line "collecting more taxes than is absolutely necessary is legalized robbery" is not his wording.