No. Although government waste and understanding why they can never make effective use of revenue is important, it's a separate issue entirely. Even if you approve of the things your government spends money on (which you shouldn't), you are still being robbed at gunpoint like the rest of us.I make a big deal about how #TaxationIsTheft. But why do I say taxation is theft? Is it because I just don't like how the government spends my money?
No, the real reason why taxation is theft is because of the principle of self-ownership, also known as the non-aggression principle or NAP. That link goes to a Mises Institute article that explains it better than I could, but I'll take a shot at summarizing it.
The economist Murray Rothbard pointed out that everybody is the sole owner of themselves; because we own ourselves, it is morally wrong to use aggression against another peaceful person, as that would violate their self-ownership. Self-ownership ultimately means having the right to your own life and to pursue your own happiness, as long as doing it doesn't infringe on the rights of others.
How did Rothbard reach his conclusion? In his book For a New Liberty (which you can get for free from the Mises Institute at that link) he explains that essentially, it's the only way anything can be done. If you don't own yourself at all, you would have to somehow consult with everyone who did own you before you could do anything; however, that act of consultation would also require consultation, and on it goes until you starve to death (again, I'm summarizing a much more detailed account).
Since you own yourself, you own your time and labour. Maybe you go into business yourself as an entrepreneur and use your time that way; maybe you agree to lease your time to someone else as their employee in exchange for a wage. Either way, the product (either the goods and services you make yourself, or the wage you get) belong 100% to you. The only moral way for you to take goods or services or money that someone else has, while respecting the NAP and their self-ownership, is to reach a voluntary agreement with them about it. Maybe they're willing to give you stuff for free; more likely, they'll want something in exchange. Either way, consent is the critical factor.
This is the part that people who try to claim that taxation isn't theft miss; even if you give them something, taking money or property from someone without their consent is theft. To look at it a different way, apply the McDonald's test: what if McDonald's acted like a government? In this case, McDonald's would automatically deduct money from every paycheque you work to earn and add extra costs to every purchase you make. If you tried to hide any of your property from them, they would send men with guns to your home to either collect what they claim they're owed or lock you in a cage, or kill you if you resist. And in return for this they occasionally give you a Big Mac, regardless of whether you're a vegetarian, not hungry, or just would prefer a home-cooked meal.
To look at it yet another way, think of taking someone's money in the same way you'd think of having sex with them. If you didn't ask permission, or you asked and they said no, or they're not capable of consenting in the first place, you're violating their rights. And does the government ask for our permission before taking our money, or even give us a meaningful way to tell them no? Of course they don't.
Hopefully, my summary of why taxation is always theft was helpful. There are other problems with taxation, like how it punishes people for doing well in life and thus discourages that behaviour, or how monopolies always provide worse and more expensive goods and services than free markets, but they're ultimately besides the main point:
Reply to this comment if you accept, and are willing to let us share your gem of a post! By accepting this, you have a chance to receive extra rewards and one of your photos in this article may be used in our compilation post!
Let me know if you have any questions regarding the project or nomination. Hope to hear from you soon! You can follow @ocd – learn more about the project and see other Gems! We strive for transparency.
Congratulations @whoisjohnmalt! You have completed some achievement on Steemit and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
Click on any badge to view your own Board of Honor on SteemitBoard.
For more information about SteemitBoard, click here
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOP