this post was submitted on 10 Oct 2024
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tbh, in this interpretation, it sounds like extortion, sort of what gangs usually do to minor business owners
tax is tax, it's a mandatory contribution to society you morally and legally obliged to do, not a payment for not being killed
That is what tax is meant to be... But at the end of the day, what happens if you refuse to pay? Eventually, either the money is taken without your permission or people will show up to put you in a room under threat of violence
Yeah, this is coercive. That's what happens when you continuously act in bad faith in a community - eventually, people get fed up. This is just the chaotic version rather than the lawful one. It bypasses the states monopoly on violence, but it's also a very pure expression of the will of the people
The whole libertarian argument is that the government is just the most powerful gang who goes around extorting everyone to pay taxes. If we’re not morally obligated to pay up when it’s a small gang, why does morality change when it’s a large gang?
as a person coming from a totalitarian country, I would still prefer dealing with a single gang which also has its own welfare obligations can be corrected or overthrown when needed, than several mafia-like cartels which only care about extorting money from me providing nothing to both me and the society as a whole.
governments have responsibility, too, it's just some don't accept it
Oh definitely. That’s the argument from pragmatism which I wholeheartedly support. At the end of the day, we need to feed and shelter ourselves and keep ourselves safe from aggression and violence.
The moral argument is a much more difficult one to tackle. Much has been written on this topic: consent of the governed, responsibility of the individual towards society and vice versa.
keep gang violence local and small 🥰🥰🥰
Any payment that is mandatory is definitionally extortion.
“Extortion is the act of obtaining money, property, or services from an individual or institution through coercion, threats, or intimidation.”
A contribution cannot be obligated.
“A contribution is something given or offered to help achieve a common goal or cause.“
Morality is subjective.
The Law is just a Mob that can hold power, If you had a choice you and every other individual would choose not to pay taxes up to and including your own detriment.
Not saying we would be better without law but I am saying Laws are just as immoral as any other system.
And all the good things we rely on in society don't work unless everybody pitches in. It's not "do I give you money Y/N", it's " do I give you money and get the benefits of living in society Y/N".
Or, as in some societies, only the bad parts, with the good parts forcibly stripped away.
Just remember every good thing you received from society was taken from someone else usually in the form of colonization and you are looking at it from the side of the taker not the taker.
morality and legality barely apply to billionaires of the world. If they don't want to play by the rules then how long can we put up with them hoarding the wealth that could save millions?