Yes, that is what they say, what they do is largely different. The outcome, and my current view, is that the threat of taxes incentives other kinds of transactions, and when those transactions are not pursued then the remainder of the money available is taxed.

This means do the transactions that are not tax events, do the transactions that are deductible expenses, do the transactions that result in tax credits. Invest in the area or sector experiencing the tax holiday, move to the area with the tax exemption.

No individual politician will say it that way, any individual politician will say the opposite “tax everyone, fair share, yada yada”, but they are politicians, and the political body in aggregate creates tax laws more similar to my observation.

And yes, I can acknowledge that there is a very limited number of things that a wage slave can do to reduce taxes. The tax code awards taking risks, this doesn't mean the employee wont fail and have no remaining ability to exchange time for food and shelter. But if you dont fail, it will continue rewarding you.