Is Taxation Theft?

This is an appeal to the consequences of a belief. The alleged outcome doesn't change the logic leading to the conclusion.

 

You have to have currency to trade with others in a division of labor economy. That's what creates the demand. Taxing that currency is just a way for the govt to raise revenues.

 

Good grief, are you really this dense!? The demand for that currency already exists as a result of needing it to trade with others. Why are you ignoring the obvious?

 

No, you could trade in someone else's currency. This is currently going on in Zimbabwe. Their currency is just paper, so other currencies have replaced it.

 

The way I see taxation, it is the dues a citizen pays to maintain the citizenship. They can be considered voluntary insofar that if you don't want to pay taxes, then you should not be able to take advantage of the full rights of citizenship. For example, I do not believe anyone who owes back taxes should be eligible to receive a new passport or renew an expired one, nor should they be able to renew a driver's license.

 

Why would the company have the responsibility of storing his cars that he made? Maybe they should tax him for this trouble?

I'm a social capitalist. I believe that there are many social programs that corporations cannot be trusted with. Taxes are needed for these. Welcome to the social contract.

 

Without taxation, government is unable to execute the functions of governance and thus ceases to exist. When government ceases civilization does. I don't see why you're having a hard time comprehending such a simple concept as that, unless you're one of the myriad uneducated that frequent this site.

 

.. and this disproves my point how?

 

Taxation is what gives the dollar its value. Trade can be facilitated with precious metal coins, warehouse receipts, etc. The reason the dollar has value is because of the demand created by taxation, you have to pay your taxes in dollars, pork bellies are not accepted.

 

That would be true under any economic system. You only gain the legal right to use the land when you pay the fee.

You can live whether you have exclusive rights to occupy the land or not and in many cases people have to buy that right. (as rent for an apartment)

Not likely in the US, and even those who work may or may not work for a landowner; they may work for a land occupier.

Working for a wage is a choice and everyone has the choice. Some have a better choice than others, but that is true under any circumstances. Not since the days of the hunter gatherer could a person just see, kill, eat, and even then if they did it in another tribes venue you had better not get caught or you may be invited to dinner the hard way, as dinner.

 

*rollseyes*

Not working isnt a choice? Well neither is living, so maybe you should just quit that and stick it to the capitalist pigs forcing you to do things you dont want to do.

But really dude, wages are negotiated. All the time.

 

The dollar is in demand because of the dominance of the United States. That demand will disappear if the U.S. loses it's position.

 

Currencies belong to states. You can't trade in the Zimbabwe currency even in Zimbabwe.

 

Money has value based on the trust in government, especially the trust not to print more currency than the value of the total economy.

 

Wow, this BS just will not go away. The value of currency is created by the production of goods and services. Currency is the medium of exchange used to trade one good for another good indirectly. Without those goods, currency is useless. It might actually be beneficial if you read the 'money speech' in Atlas Shrugged. It offers a very rational explanation of what money is and why it's needed. link-->: Money Speech

 

I suppose one could still call taxation theft, it's just the only way to have an economy other than sheep-herding.

 

No. If the dollar wasn't being taxed, people would only accept something like metals. The dollar is unreliable, which is why some people buy gold.

 

Again, total BS. You are trying to say that if my income wasn't taxed, my money would have no value and I couldn't use it to pay for anything. How could you possibly arrive at such a ridiculous conclusion?

 

In the U.S. you have legal right to use plenty of public land. You can live without access to private land. And start you own business if you don't want to work for someone else.

You can't live without food either, yes you have to work for that as well, and not getting what you want or need for free isn't extortion.


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The money would no longer be accepted, any more than confederate dollars. It's paper only. Give me something of value, like metal.

 

No. A tax becomes loot if it's recipient hasn't earned it by his labor (welfare). A police officer or public defender or teacher or judge is earning a living. I fully accept that these folks cannot work for free and I willingly pay the taxes I owe knowing full well that taxes are a major source of their income. The real debate should be this: What should a government be doing and how should we pay for what it should do?

 

You are trying to imply something here related to taxation. What is it exactly (I could guess but I might misrepresent your view)?

 

The dollar was established in 1785, paper notes started being used in 1836. Income tax didn't come around until 1862.



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That's a value judgement. That has nothing to do with economics. If you are able to demand people turn sea shells in to the government at a fixed rate, then people will work inorder to trade for them so as to pay the tax, and this currency can then be given to bureaucrats, establish services, some services can then become corporations, market etc. Otherwise you just have the nogai horde.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_money#African_shell_money

Feudalism preceded the currency market, and the state developed out of feudalism.

 

You are deluded since there is no expectation to not have to pay taxes.