Even Bill Maher couldn’t deny it this time. On Friday’s episode of Real Time, Maher openly acknowledged what millions of Americans already know: Democratic politicians love raising taxes without actually calling them taxes.

Maher made the comment while discussing the Supreme Court’s recent tariffs decision. As Lauren Boebert criticized the ruling, she pointed out how Democrats dodge voter approval by slapping “fee” labels on what are really just tax hikes.

“If we’re going to just change the names and the terms, well, let’s do what the leftist politicians do, what Democrats do, especially in my home state of Colorado, and call it something else, like a fee,” Boebert said. She explained that while citizens vote on taxes, they don’t get a say when government piles on “fee after fee after fee.”

Maher didn’t argue. He jumped in and said, “That’s true.” A rare moment of honesty breaking through Hollywood airspace.

Boebert continued that people are forced to pay these so-called fees whether they agree or not, and before she could finish her thought, Maher cut in again with a knowing jab: “Yeah, we live in California, you don’t have to tell us.” Translation: if anyone understands stealth taxes, it’s the residents of California.

The exchange exposed what Democrats prefer not to admit — when voters won’t approve higher taxes, they just rename them and move on. It’s taxation by thesaurus, and Maher’s accidental confession made it even harder to deny.

Sometimes the truth slips out, even on HBO. And when it does, it confirms what conservatives have been saying all along: if it walks like a tax and drains your wallet like a tax, it’s a tax — no matter how cleverly it’s dressed up as a “fee.”