[dahart]

Everyone being a taxpayer and everyone having a bank account is a coincidence. This does not equate to bank fees being taxes. I’m not saying you’re wrong, but this argument isn’t strong. It’s the same as saying we’re being taxed for smart phones or cars on the basis that most people buy them. A tax is something the government collects and it’s mandatory. The other massive difference here is that the fees are distributed according to certain kinds of savings and investments, not according to income nor according to any and every bank account. I don’t have bank fees, for example, for my checking account.

[briHass]

To continue your cell phone analogy, this could easily be like the 'number portability' regulation that was simply passed on to consumers as a fee that vastly overpaid for the cost and now represents almost pure profit for carriers.

Banks are too smart to make it that obvious, however. They'll wind those fees in silently.