[mindslight]

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!