[nananonymous]

I have a hard time seeing taxation as always theft. In a democratic society the public either is or was part of the decision on whether or not to fund things like the LHC. If society agrees to pay for it then by definition there's no coercion.

I think the LHC has over a dozen participating countries, each of which volunteered to be part of it. Ideally there should be checks and balances making sure a project of this scale is free from corruption.

[jamesdwilson]

if tax isn't theft, then the free market will decide to do the same thing..

[fauigerzigerk]

Neither theft nor markets exist without property rights. And to have property rights you need a legal system, you need democratic institutions, law makers, an executive branch that enforces your legal rights, etc.

That costs money. It requires the work and agreement of others. You are not entitled to that for free and without entering into any sort of negotiation that involves give and take.

Your demand for protection against that thing you call "theft" is essentially a demand for the existence of a system of government, and that requires taxes. Therefore the claim that taxes are theft contradicts itself.

[contravariant]

It did.