Political strategy utilized by American conservatives
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Ronald Reagan gives a televised address from the Oval Office, outlining his plan for tax reductions in July 1981.
"Starve the beast" is a political strategy employed by American conservatives to limit government spending[1][2][3] by cutting taxes, to deprive the federal government of revenue in a deliberate effort to force it to reduce spending. The term "the beast", in this context, refers to the United States federal government and the programs it funds, using mainly American tax money, particularly social programs[4] such as education, welfare, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.[3]
Total tax revenues were calculated as a percentage of GDP for the U.S. in comparison to the OECD and the EU 15.
On July 14, 1978, economist and future Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan testified to the Senate Finance Committee: "Let us remember that the basic purpose of any tax cut program in today's environment is to reduce the momentum of expenditure growth by restraining the amount of revenue available and trust that there is a political limit to deficit spending."[5]
Before his election as President, then-candidate Ronald Reagan foreshadowed the strategy during the 1980 US Presidential debates, saying "John Anderson tells us that first we've got to reduce spending before we can reduce taxes. Well, if you've got a kid that's extravagant, you can lecture him all you want to about his extravagance. Or you can cut his allowance and achieve the same end much quicker."[6]
The earliest known use of "starve the beast" is in a 1979 newspaper article quoting Santa Rosa, California city councilman Jerry Wilhelm at a tax forum sponsored by the Libertarian Party.[7][original research?]
^"Europe's Welfare States". The Economist. Pralmeida.tripod.com. April 1, 2004. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
^Bartlett, Bruce (July 2, 2007). "Origins and Development of a Budget Metaphor". The Independent Review. Independent.org. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
^ abLindberg, Mark (Spring 2007). "Foundations Have a Stake". Minnesota Council on Foundations. Mcf.org. Archived from the original on January 7, 2011. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
^"Europe's Welfare States". The Economist. Pralmeida.tripod.com. April 1, 2004. Retrieved November 25, 2010.
^Bartlett, Bruce (May 7, 2010). "Tax Cuts And 'Starving The Beast'". Forbes.
^"Mallaby, Sebastian. Don't Feed the Beast: Bush Should End This Tax-cut Myth". The Washington Post. Washingtonpost.com. May 8, 2006. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
^Hemphill, Jenda (11 Apr 1979). "Fed Up With Taxes?". Argus-Courier. Petaluma, CA. p. 6. Retrieved 30 Jul 2021.
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