I swear to the mighty god Zeus if I hear the libertarian call of " taxation is theft " again I might puke. For a group of young college going Americans to say that taxation is thievery obviously do not know the meaning of the word.
Theft:
a : the act of stealing; specifically : the felonious taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of itb : an unlawful taking (as by embezzlement or burglary) of property
Since Today was the last day taxes were due , I think it is funny that many on campus strive to do their taxes as fast as possible and go to great lengths to make sure they are filled correctly. This is because everyone knows the government looks down on those who do not pay it forward, or at least prove that they are to poor to.
Since this is a huge voluntary surge, I.e there are no IRS cronies on campus busting down peoples doors, I wonder why YOU PEOPLE say this taxation is theft? I have known since i was a child that the government provides a large number of services to the public at large. I also knew from a young age things are not free. So how can anyone who has benefited from even one government program say that taxation is theft? What you are really trying to say is the price you pay is too high, or even that you would like to opt out of a annual payment plan that you feel does not benefit you as much as you pay into it.
Since this is a huge voluntary surge, I.e there are no IRS cronies on campus busting down peoples doors, I wonder why YOU PEOPLE say this taxation is theft? I have known since i was a child that the government provides a large number of services to the public at large. I also knew from a young age things are not free. So how can anyone who has benefited from even one government program say that taxation is theft? What you are really trying to say is the price you pay is too high, or even that you would like to opt out of a annual payment plan that you feel does not benefit you as much as you pay into it.
Ninos stated " taxation is people taking my money and giving it to others" when really taxation is you paying in currency for the social and physical wealth you accrue from government services. If you feel you are not getting corresponding benefits to your payment you have two choices , one is to stop using the service and stop paying for it ( and the only way to do that legally is to move), or change the system to where you feel you are paying a corresponding amount for your services used.
But also this leads to another argument, what about our evil progressive tax system that is bleeding the upper class in class warfare to support the do nothing poor masses? Well everyone receives varying benefits from the government, but most of government spending does not go to income based programs. The majority of funding goes towards the military and Social Security. these constitute over 60% of the budget, and both have nothing to do with income levels. SS is based on age, and the military is our national defense system. I do not agree with SS programs , they are a relic of the great depression that have no logical founding or sustainable way to operate, but that means a large portion of our budget is spent on services that benefit all of America in one way or another.
The cool thing about a progressive system is it takes full advantage of price discrimination. People with more money are willing to pay more for these government services , even if they receive less , or they simply would not pay them and move somewhere else. There ability to pay means that they can charge less to people who cannot afford as much, but even still the gap of taxation is huge. As a matter of fact with a good enough CPA many hyper wealthy individuals are able to pay far less taxes comparative to their income than lower income individuals. The problem is that means the middle class and upper middle/ lower upper class is shouldered with the majority of the tax burden.
The cool thing about a progressive system is it takes full advantage of price discrimination. People with more money are willing to pay more for these government services , even if they receive less , or they simply would not pay them and move somewhere else. There ability to pay means that they can charge less to people who cannot afford as much, but even still the gap of taxation is huge. As a matter of fact with a good enough CPA many hyper wealthy individuals are able to pay far less taxes comparative to their income than lower income individuals. The problem is that means the middle class and upper middle/ lower upper class is shouldered with the majority of the tax burden.
So next time you start to say taxation is theft , try and remember what it is theft really is and if taxation really fits the description.
WUTANG CLANNNN
WUTANG CLANNNN
If you are correct the following will be legit-
ReplyDeleteI will give you something that I deem a benefit to you. Lets say this is a pencil. I will then tell you that you owe me $10. If you do not give me $10 I will have you thrown in jail.
This is similar to the situation where individuals are taxed. Coercion occurs when an individual is forced to do something against their will. Because an individual is forced to pay taxes under threat of penalty this is theft.
Additionally, whether or not an individual has benefited from government services is irrelevant to this discussion.