Do not blame Caesar, blame the people of Rome who have so enthusiastically acclaimed and adored him and rejoiced in their loss of freedom and danced in his path and gave him triumphal processions. Blame the people who hail him when he speaks in the Forum of the ‘new, wonderful, good society’ which shall now be Rome’s, interpreted to mean: more money, more ease, more security, more living fatly at the expense of the industrious.
Possibly Marcus Tullius Cicero, or maybe The Honorable Millard F. Caldwell
Free stuff III
Nov 8th, 2012
by CountingCats.
Roman taxation of Italy in the time of Cicero was very low (it hardly existed at all) - people should get their history right if they are going to use it.
Julius C. plundered Gaul(and murdered vast number of people) to buy votes - his source of plunder was not from Roman citizens.
However, both Sulla and Marius had plundered Romans - to give to whole estates to their supporters (a bit like Kelso - but with the previous owners killed).
Welfare under the LATE Republic was paid for by tribute from the Provinces - not high domestic taxes (and it only really applied to the rabble in the city of Rome and a few other cities).