[rayiner]

That's the security expenditure assuming the backdrop of government enforcement of property rights. Imagine running a storage facility in a place like Somalia. You'd need way more than a perimeter fence and monitoring!

When my family lived in Bangladesh, we once had a band of thieves (in a van/bus with guns) try to break down our gate. One of those would roll through the security at your typical storage facility.

[PeterWhittaker]

Not to be belabour the point, but in a place like Somalia, gun toting labour is cheap. You'd need two or three "shift supervisors" (overseers who keep the labour in line, really), and you'd pay them more, but overall, the teens with AKs and the tough-as-nails-and-mean-as-hell overseers would likely end up costing less than one pays in taxes.

Now add the cut to the local warlord, who "respects" your area so long as you "respect" his due.

Oh, wait, that's starting to look a lot like taxation, police services, rights enforcement. Just without the actual rule of law, good governance, and an independent judiciary.

Really, I do not understand this notion that police services, etc., are free. We pay for them with every dollar we earn and every dollar we spend.

As the man said, I like paying taxes, with them I buy civilization.