rob Peter to pay Paul

Etymology
. Sometimes claimed to refer to Church taxes paid to (originally called Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster) that were sent to repair  in the mid 1500s, though records exist of the phrase since about 1450.

Verb

 * 1)  To use resources that legitimately belong to or are needed by one party in order to satisfy a legitimate need of another party, especially within the same organization or group; to solve a problem in a way that makes another problem worse, producing no net gain.
 * 2) * 1865, Henry David Thoreau, Cape Cod, Chapter VIII. "The Highland Light", page 140.
 * Perhaps what the Ocean takes from one part of the Cape it gives to another,—robs Peter to pay Paul.
 * Perhaps what the Ocean takes from one part of the Cape it gives to another,—robs Peter to pay Paul.

Translations

 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin: 拆東牆，補西牆
 * Czech: vytkloukat klín klínem
 * Danish: give med den ene hånd og tage med den anden, tage fra den ene og give til den anden
 * Dutch:
 * Finnish: siirtää rahaa taskusta toiseen
 * French:
 * Galician: desvestir un santo para vestir outro
 * Polish: zabrać jednemu, żeby dać drugiemu
 * Portuguese: despir um santo para vestir outro