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Re:Sonos: users must accept new privacy policy or devices ma... by pjc50 on Tuesday August 22, 2017 @03:27PM (#15075600)
Tax is not rent unless you're in an actual feudal system.
Re:Sonos: users must accept new privacy policy or devices ma... by dvdhnt on Tuesday August 22, 2017 @05:04PM (#15076372)
> Broadly defined, it was a way of structuring society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour. [1]

If I don't mow my lawn or pick up my garbage (labour) then my homeowners' association or local government can initiate legal proceedings which may end in me not "owning" my home.

Look, I'm actually for taxes generally, whatever you want to think about that, as long as they provide equal value to the people. However, our current system is designed so that any local government can arbitrarily decide that they're incorporated and I'm subject to their laws and taxation. 99% of us work towards putting more into the system than we get back and many do so exponentially.

Last time I checked, eminent domain and asset forfeiture are still actual things that happen in 2017.

We may not live in an outright "feudal system" but many of us live in a system closer to one than not.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feudalism

Re:Sonos: users must accept new privacy policy or devices ma... by gamad on Tuesday August 22, 2017 @09:20PM (#15077773)
It's rent. If I don't pay my property taxes, the government will march in and take my house.
Re:Sonos: users must accept new privacy policy or devices ma... by dTal on Wednesday August 23, 2017 @12:44PM (#15082987)
Land specifically is kind of a special case, in that we can't just make more of it (to a first approximation). There is an ongoing opportunity cost to society to give you exclusive rights over a piece of land, and therefore it is right and proper that you make an ongoing contribution to society to compensate.