More Floss

I was moved to share a morsel of Eliot on 28th August and today I am moved to share another, from the same 'The Mill on the Floss', this one from chapter 6 of part VI, about two thirds of the way through according to the bottom bar on my Kindle, the nearest it comes to page numbers.

I had been struck by her perception in 1860, presumably well known to our own pundits of HMCR, that one can get monies with indirect taxation that are not to be got with direct taxation. And that one might be persuaded to part with money at a stall selling foolishness that one would not put into a collecting tin, be the ultimate aims the same in both cases.

It remains, however, a puzzle to me that the publics of what is called the developed world are or are taken to be so dense in this matter. It would be so much cheaper and simpler to fund our schools and hospitals if they, that is the government, were able to set the rate of income tax appropriately and we, that is the people, just paid up. Without the large and essentially unproductive industry we have instead of tax legislators, tax (avoidance) lawyers, tax (evasion) accountants and uncle tom cobley & all.