“You don’t pay taxes. They take taxes”
American comedian Chris Rock said about taxes:
“You don’t even `pay’ taxes. They `take’ taxes. You get your paycheck - they’re gone. That ain’t a payment, that’s a `jack.’ As in`hijack.’”
Rock’s comic argument is often shortened to, “You don’t pay taxes. They take taxes.” It’s not known when Rock first said it, but he was quoted in a March 1997 newspaper as, “You don’t pay taxes. They take taxes. That’s robbery.”
Wikipedia: Chris Rock
Christopher Julius Rock III (born February 7, 1965) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and director.
After working as a standup comic and appearing in small film roles, Rock came to wider prominence as a cast member of Saturday Night Live in the early 1990s.
22 March 1997, Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch, “Chris Rock’s Comedy Routine” by Otesa Middleton, pg. B-2:
“You don’t pay taxes. They take taxes. That’s robbery.”
6 August 2000, Boston (MA) Globe, “A comedian hilarious enough to sound…conservative” by Thomas C. Palmer, Pg. E5:
If congressman Rick Lazio stumbles between now and November, the New York GOP may want to consider Rock as a Senate candidate, considering his stand on taxes. “One thing Clinton did I didn’t like - raise taxes,” he says. “You don’t even `pay’ taxes. They `take’ taxes. You get your paycheck - they’re gone. That ain’t a payment, that’s a `jack.’ As in`hijack.’ “
Google Books
The Snark Handbook: Politics and Government Edition:
Gridlock, Red Tape, and Other Insults to We the People
By Lawrence Dorfman
New York, NY: Skyhorse Publishing
2012
Pg. ?:
You don’t pay taxes—they take taxes. —CHRIS ROCK
Google Books
The Biteback Dictionary of Humorous Political Quotations
By Fred Metcalt
London, UK: Biteback Publishing
2012
Pg. ?:
You don’t pay taxes; they take taxes.
Chris Rock, American comedian
Google Books
Quotable Quotes:
Wit and Wisdom from the Greatest Minds of Our Time
By Editors of Reader’s Digest
White Plains, NY: The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.
2013
Pg. ?:
You don’t pay taxes—they take taxes. —CHRIS ROCK