[coliveira]

Poor argument. Even if the government robbed money (which is most of the time not true), it would be better to have the money robbed by my government than by some rich dude that I never saw in my life to maintain his wealth in some foreign country.

[shadowprofile76]

I am not referring to government robbing money in a crassly criminal/corrupt sense. My point was in reference to the government simply spending poorly the money it legitimately takes through legally sanctioned means (taxes), but then crying about budget problems despite this. I repeat, government size, reach and government spending are all at nearly record levels in most western states, despite this the focus keeps being placed on companies avoiding taxes instead of government reallocating its existing funds better. This is not simple whataboutism either, It's a point that's directly relevant to the arguments around to what degree companies should be allowed to avoid their perceived tax obligations.

Furthermore, you mention preferring having money robbed from you by someone in government than by some rich dude you never saw in your life. What's the difference? Since I assume your definition of theft is about actual stealing by either party, then in either case, someone you don't know is taking money you could have had access to for their personal benefit. Except that in the corporate case, the person in question is not even actually stealing from you, they're keeping more of something they first earned through sales. The corrupt government thief however literally takes from what was first taken from you by taxation.

[coliveira]

The efficient use of money by the government is an important, but separate point. I am in support in improving the way the government uses every cent of our taxes.

The thing about someone else robbing my money is that companies that hide money due in taxes are effectively taking what is not theirs by law, and hiding in a foreign country where we'll never see it. If the government is misusing the money, at least some of it may be recovered, and even the most inefficient use is made inside our country, thus contributing to the local economy.