Taxation or Tyranny

The Old Testament prophet, Samuel told the people that a king would take a tenth of their income to pay for his officers (1 Sam 8:10-18). He warned that they would cry out for relief under the stress of supporting the king’s entourage.

Samuel would be amazed the people would be paying thirty to forty percent of their income to the government. If ten percent was oppression, thirty percent must be tyranny.