Re:Tax details of US super-rich allegedly leaked
by daenz on Tuesday June 08, 2021 @06:28PM
(#27441908)
It's not a service if I can't opt out of paying for it. My money is being redistributed, through the implicit threat of force, to all kinds of things, whether they are good ideas or not. There are no competitors and I can't choose what my taxes are spent on. Politicians do not provide services, they redistribute money.
Re:Tax details of US super-rich allegedly leaked
by qqqwerty on Wednesday June 09, 2021 @02:56AM
(#27445042)
The only reason "your money" has any value at all is because it can be used to pay taxes. USD is not backed by anything other than the government's "threat of force" to collect taxes.
So in essence, taxes are a service to you, they make your money worth something to other people. Without that, we would be using soda pop bottles (or whatever) instead.
Framing the question in terms of politicians redistributing money sounds like an attempt to use base emotions to reach a foregone conclusion. I would like to think that framing the question in terms of governments providing services encourages people to examine how governments work and what they actually have to offer. In other words: you are welcome to debate the mechanisms of government in providing fair and accountable services. (Of course, it could just be that I am exhibiting a bias in the other direction.)