Leadership Quote by Doc Hastings

“Double taxation” is one of those Washington phrases that tries to turn a policy dispute into a moral injury. Doc Hastings isn’t just arguing about accounting; he’s framing government as a repeat offender, dipping into the same pocket twice and calling it civic duty. The line’s power comes from its compressed indignation: “This is” (not “might be”) and “simply unfair” (not “complicated” or “debatable”). It’s designed to short-circuit nuance and recruit a gut-level sense of being cheated.

The intent is coalition-building. “Double taxation” is technical enough to sound expert, but familiar enough to trigger an immediate reaction among taxpayers, small business owners, and anti-tax conservatives. It’s a label that pre-loads the conclusion: if something is “double,” it’s excessive; if it’s “taxation,” it’s coercive; if it’s “unfair,” the listener is invited to feel wronged rather than persuaded.

The subtext: the real issue isn’t only the policy in question (often dividends, estates, or corporate profits), but a broader suspicion that the state expands by stealth. Hastings is telling his audience that the rules are rigged, that success gets penalized twice, and that government can’t be trusted to stop at “once.”

Context matters because “double taxation” can be both a legitimate critique and a rhetorical sleight of hand. Many taxes fall on different entities, at different stages, for different purposes. Calling it “double” collapses those distinctions. That’s the point: the phrase trades precision for political velocity, converting a layered fiscal debate into a clean grievance story with a villain.