With Tax Day approaching, listed below are seven occasions that characters have sung or talked about taxes in Broadway musicals, from “I’ll Put a Tax on That” in On line casino Lady 1910 to “My Shot” and “Cupboard Battle # 1” in “Hamilton” in 2015; then two performs in 2017.

“I’ll Put A Tax on That” with music by Harry T. MacConnell and lyrics by Harry B. Smith, appeared in “The On line casino Lady” (1900), wherein a former refrain lady on the On line casino Theatre in New York flees to Cairo beneath an assumed identify to flee amorous advances of an admirer. The tune is sung by the actor portraying the “Khedive of Egypt.”

If ever I’m in want of money, I improve the tax
If my investments go to smash, I elevate the tax
If I ought to want a diamond pin, or the tailor’s payments are available in
Once I choose winners that don’t win,
I simply tilt up the tax
Ha ha, ho ho, that’s the correct approach
Ha ha, ho ho, the individuals must pay
You guess your life, I’m not a flat
I do know the place I’m at
I put a tax on that

“If They Ever Put A Tax on Love” was carried out in “Doing Our Bit” (1917-1918)  with music by Nat Osborne and lyrics by Sam Ehrlich

There’s a tax on sugar, and there’s slightly tax on honey
Why they even tax your cash. 
It appears so humorous once they tax your honey and your cash too.
There’s a tax on letters.
Quickly there’ll be a tax on stars above.
Broadway farmers will quickly be misplaced
Trigger there’ll be no chickens there to chase
Goodbye without end in the event that they ever put a tax on love

In second stanza: “All previous maids who by no means had an opportunity/Would seize onto something in pants.”

In 1776 (initially on Broadway 1969-1972) John Adams complains to his fellow delegates to Second Continental Congress:
For ten years King George and his Parliament have gulled, cullied and diddled these Colonies with their unlawful taxes — Stamp Acts, Townshend Acts, Sugar Acts, Tea Acts — and
after we dared get up like males they stopped
our commerce, seized our ships, blockaded our ports, burned our cities and spilled our blood — and nonetheless this Congress gained’t grant any of my proposals on Independence even a lot because the courtesy of open debate! Good God, what in hell are you ready for?!”

Then they inform him to take a seat down in a tune..

The tune “It’s A Privilege to Pee”by Mark Hollmann and  Greg Kotis sums up the fundamental plot of the musical “Urinetown” (2001-2004):

The politicians of their knowledge noticed
That there needs to be a regulation
The politicians taxed the bathrooms
And made unlawful
Public urination and defecation

So, come and provides your cash to me
Write your identify right here within the report guide
The authorities will need to look
Should you’ve been common with me
Should you’ve paid the right charge
For the privilege to pee

Within the tune “96,000” from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first musical, “In The Heights” (2008-2011) the fellows from the neighborhood dream of what they’d do in the event that they gained $96,000 within the lottery, till Usnavi units them straight (the lyrics under, from the stage musical, was altered barely within the film above)

Benny:
I’ll be a enterprise man,
richer than Nina’s daddy,
Donald Trump and I on the hyperlinks,
and he’s my caddy
My cash’s creating wealth, I’m going from po’ to moto
Preserve the bling, I would like the brass ring like frodo!

Usnavi:
As for you, Mr. Frodo of the shire, 96 gs ain’t sufficient to retire

Benny::
I’ll have sufficient to knock your ass of its axis!

Usnavi
You’ll have a knapsack filled with jack after taxes!

In “My Shot” in Miranda’s different hit musical, Hamilton (2015- current), Alexander Hamilton lays out the rationale that can result in revolution

we are supposed to be
A colony that runs independently
In the meantime, Britain retains shittin’ on us endlessly
Basically, they tax us relentlessly

Then King George turns round, runs a spendin’ spree
He ain’t ever gonna set his descendants free
So there will likely be a revolution on this century

In a later tune in the identical musical, the revolution occurs, the brand new nation is fashioned, and in “Cupboard Battle # 1” Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton have a “rap-off” about whether or not to have a nationwide financial institution and whether or not the US authorities ought to assume the money owed of the states.  Jefferson is opposed, accusing Hamilton of merely wanting to learn his state

Hamilton:
Not true!

Jefferson:
Ooh, if the shoe matches, put on it
If New York’s in debt—
Why ought to Virginia bear it? Uh! Our money owed are paid, I’m afraid
Don’t tax the South cuz we obtained it made within the shade
In Virginia, we plant seeds within the floor
We create. You simply wanna transfer our cash round
This monetary plan is an outrageous demand
And it’s too many rattling pages for any man to grasp
Stand with me within the land of the free
And pray to God we by no means see Hamilton’s candidacy
Look, when Britain taxed our tea, we obtained frisky
Think about what gon’ occur whenever you attempt to tax our whisky

Taxes come up up in performs too:

In Lynn Nottage’s “Sweat” (2017) Tracey complains about getting handed over for a job in favor of her pal Cynthia. “I betcha they needed a minority. I’m not prejudice however that’s how issues are going nowadays. I obtained eyes. They get tax breaks or one thing.”

In Ayad Akhtar’s “Junk” (2017) an trade between the monetary reporter Judy Chen and the junk bond king Robert Merkin
Chen: Is it true you made $800 million earlier than taxes final yr?
Merkin:Can we go off the report? I don’t just like the course of your questions. Or your tone.
chen: Are we again on the report. Nobody in American historical past has ever made that a lot cash in a single yr — since Al Capone.Any remark?
Merkin: We’re completed right here