Roger Daltrey on Taxes

Richard was surprised to learn that The Who are my favourite band ever; he said that was very unusual for a girl. Nonetheless, he lent me a book called The Who In Their Own Words. It was published in 1979 and is a compilation of quotes from interviews given in their first 15 years. I read the whole thing while sitting at the bar at Banditos tonight.

One of the quotes made me think immediately of Devastatin’ Dave.

Roger Daltrey: I think you should pay the people on welfare enough to live. What is such a shame is that people go to work and can’t really earn much more because it’s all taken away in tax…and the tax is all wasted on more government to dish out less welfare. Just suppose I invest money, whatever that money makes as investment income I’m paying about ninety-eight per cent tax on it. And yet that’s the only way England’s going to become great… If you really love England shove your fucking money into it. But why put your money in it if you don’t get anything? I mean inflation is twenty-five per cent… Fortunately up to two years ago there were schemes where you could earn money abroad and not pay tax on it…which has all gone to pot now… Anyone who starts to make it leaves – I suppose financially they’ve got to. I don’t mind paying that amount of tax – it’s what they do with it I don’t like. If I thought it would go to old age pensioners to increase their pension, but it doesn’t. Every time they put up taxes it’s always just another department for this or another for that. Look at the amount of civil servants…I’d certainly lower taxes, definitely I think it is the main problem in this country – overtaxed and overgoverned.

Roger Daltrey was not quite describing a DD-style taxless Utopia, but DD, I thought you’d like the quote.