Honestly, it's hard to say exactly how much money the government has given someone. If I agree to a compromise where my taxes go up by $10,000 but I now get to

Honestly, it's hard to say exactly how much money the government has given someone. If I agree to a compromise where my taxes go up by $10,000 but I now get to deduct my frobozzes and so they go down $1,000, am I being given $1,000? Or, if the government decides to tax everyone at 100%, but then gives out a series of "tax breaks" that lands everyone at their current tax level, is whatever government people get to keep welfare? I don't want to go to far in the other direction. It's 100% possible for politicians to spend money via tax breaks. So neither worldview really works, but you have to have something between them.