Tax compliance can be high because the people with the most to lose just buy themselves loopholes - eg there's no requirement to file an FBAR for fine art! Enforcement resources can then be focused on keeping the middle class in line.
Pay unto Caesar and all that. But avoiding taxes through financial privacy is not equivalent to stealing. And certainly don't imply that an empire's aggressive wars are in any way akin to local community services!
> I don't think stealing books from library at any kind of scale approaching the value of tax evasion is so easy to get away with.
Sort of offtopic but ontopic to your comment: When bored and reading state statutes I've discovered librarians in NJ are the only group of people aside from law enforcement officers that are relieved of most liability when arresting someone. (anyone else that does a wrongful arrest can be hit with all sorts of charges and civil lawsuits)
Since then I've been raising awareness among the librarians of their ability to beat the shit out of people stealing books.
So yes, you are correct. I would expect that it would be more difficult to get away with at scale in the same sense it wouldn't be wise to steal office supplies from the local police station.
Pay unto Caesar and all that. But avoiding taxes through financial privacy is not equivalent to stealing. And certainly don't imply that an empire's aggressive wars are in any way akin to local community services!