They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but an Italian minister who tried to argue that paying taxes is "bellissima" has found himself in a minority of one.
Economy Minister Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa's comments that "taxes are a beautiful thing" and "civilized" met a flood of derision Monday, in a country where evasion is so widespread that an estimated 13 percent of workers pay no taxes whatsoever.
Opposition newspaper Il Giornale said "the minister has gone mad" while economist Francesco Giavazzi asked whether "poor families" and wage earners shared the minister's enthusiasm.
Of course, paying taxes is not beautiful, it's simply a necessary evil. There are indeed some things that can not be done individually, there are things that must be done both collectively and with the power of the State (and it's ability to compel) but they are few and far between and taxation is the price we must pay for those.
I do rather like the sound of a country where 13% pay no taxes at all though.
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