Even in good times, it’s hard for bureaucrats to resist the temptation of raising taxes to pay for an array of spending programs. Well, now they’re at it with a vengeance, looking to recoup tax dollars lost in the fallout of the pandemic and shore up failing government programs. In the following series for The Center Square, TPA Senior Fellow Johnny Kampis highlights these attempts to raise taxes on struggling Americans at the worst possible time.

Every day, millions of American households and businesses have to deal with a growing thicket of regulatory red tape and hidden taxes. Fortunately, the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s (CEI) annual “Ten Thousand Commandments” report provides a comprehensive overview of the U.S. regulatory state, quantifies its costs, and documents changes in rulemaking. CEI Vice President for Policy Clyde Wayne Crews, Jr. notes in the 2020 version that, “as imposing as that is, the cost of government extends even beyond what Washington collects in taxes and the far greater amount it spends. Federal environmental, safety and health, and economic regulations and interventions affect the economy by hundreds of billions—even trillions—of dollars annually.”