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by oceanstone 4680 days ago
Tax evasion isn't a good way to protest. If it were, you'd see a lot of people jumping on that bandwagon, just so they could have more money at the end of the year! Imagine that being pitched on a shareholder's meeting. "This fiscal year... we are going to protest our taxes. We project a 30% increase in profits."
1 comments
snitko 4680 days ago
It's not a good way to protest and people don't jump on that bandwagon simply because government is gonna make their lives very very unpleasant. That's why I say that I wouldn't advocate it - it is immoral to demand from people that they complicate their lives by engaging into a fight with IRS or whatever your tax agency is in your country. But essentially, taxes are forced payments. If it wasn't so, I guarantee you, 90% (if not more) would stop paying.
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oceanstone 4680 days ago
You bring up an interesting idea. What if taxes were completely voluntary... would anyone pay them? Would anyone elect to pay sales tax if it were not required? I feel like the world might resemble Mad Max if this were the case.
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snitko 4680 days ago
If taxes were voluntary, they wouldn't be taxes anymore, but rather payments for services. No one would have to elect anybody - not more so than we need to elect officials who decide which car everyone should buy - people would just start paying to service providers they like (includes police, fire department, education, law and yes, roads). As soon as this service provider stops doing a good job, people would stop paying. That would be a real accountability tied to actual profit, not to some vague promise by a government official who doesn't give a shit after he's elected.

And of course, the usual question - but what about the poor who can't afford it? Well, if a democratic system means that the majority of people agree that helping the poor is a good idea, I see nothing impossible in those very same people giving money to charities voluntarily, without any system forcing them to. Except that in a voluntary system the charities are also much more accountable than a government, because as soon as this charity fails to deliver what was promised, people stop donating.

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