You can’t really believe this. If taxes were optional, people would not pay. How much do you really believe people gift the government?

https://www.fiscal.treasury.gov/public/gifts-to-government.h...

At least for now people haven't at large elected politicians who would eliminate taxes.

If you rob Peter to pay Paul. You get Paul's vote.

What is robbery is defined in law, and by law taxation is not robbery.

Probably the least convincing argument you could put forward

Consider that lots of people regularly and voluntarily give a certain percentage of their income to their religious institution, without any kind of enforcement structure. There is a belief that such practices are good, right, and required. And it must be a strong belief, because people do love their money.

Second, taxes are not a gift or donation, nor is the government just taking them from you. They are payment for services. It's true that you are locked into a business transaction with the government, but it's meant to be a fair exchange. And unless you are incredibly wealthy, you have a favorable rate in the sense that the services you receive are worth more than what you're paying for.

> without any kind of enforcement structure.

it's peer pressure. Just because the force isn't voilence doesn't mean there isnt a reinforcement structure.

> They are payment for services.

so back to the art grants - are they services the citizens really want?

As someone living in US, a significant part of my taxes is used to bomb some people overseas for no good reason that I can think of. The value of that "service" for me is effectively negative (it makes another 9/11 that much more likely).

People like roads and parks, actually.

Of course nobody would pay, because then the government would be exposed to the free rider problem just as badly as every organization that’s not a government is. That’s not a sign that people don’t want to pay taxes if everyone is also (having to) pay taxes. It’s a coordination problem.

If that were true no one would ever round up to save puppies at the grocery store. Yet people do. They throw money in the tithe at church and into the musicians instrument case and into the panhandlers cup. Not everyone does of course but enough people do where these things happen every day.

Ah yes, I am truly misanthropic for questioning my 60% tax burden mainly to the benefit of parasitic bureaucrats.