The present and future of the tax law is currently being debated in Congress, and it seems all but certain that big changes will be made before the end of 2025 when the so-called Trump tax cuts are scheduled to expire. We all have to pay taxes, and that will remain a constant, though very few of us enjoy the annual drudgery associated with tax return filings, much less the constant record-keeping and the nagging fear of audit. Most of us don’t especially like parting with some of our hard-earned dollars either.

It doesn’t help that our tax system is enormously complicated, and can seem arbitrary and unfair. Some people say that its byzantine nature practically encourages taxpayers to be creative and aggressive. In some circles, maneuvering to legally pay lower taxes can seem like a national pastime. It’s okay to legally try to delay or avoid paying taxes. (Evading taxes is different and is not something you want to do.) As Judge Learned Hand of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals famously observed in 1934:

As you fret about minimizing your taxes, it might provide a modicum of relief to know that you are not alone. More than a few public figures, great minds, and clever observers have made their views about taxes clear. Here are a few: