Is forced taxation necessary to raise revenue?

[mencken]

User fees would do better to make people associate 'free' government programs with their price tag, which would have a beneficent effect on economic output either way.

[mencken]

"You know what, my contributions don't really matter - if I pay nothing, the schools will still work, the roads will still get built. Really, it would be stupid to pay in that case"

Again, user fees are a good solution to this issue, but people usually are objectionable to actually having to pay for the schools and roads that they use (rather than footing the bill to some invisible person richer than they are)

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That is why charity is nonexistent, and nobody with an income above the poverty line votes for candidates favoring redistribution.

[mencken]

"You know what, my contributions don't really matter - if I pay nothing, the schools will still work, the roads will still get built. Really, it would be stupid to pay in that case"

Again, user fees are a good solution to this issue, but people usually are objectionable to actually having to pay for the schools and roads that they use (rather than footing the bill to some invisible person richer than they are)

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That is why charity is nonexistent, and nobody with an income above the poverty line votes for candidates favoring redistribution.

You can't seriously think that voluntary donations are going to make up the shortfall of getting rid of taxes?

No, hence why I advocated user fees in my two prior posts in this thread.

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Normally they make up for it by passing the costs on to the consumer.

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But people are not motivated to give to fashionable or ideological causes when they are in charge of allocating other peoples' money for redistributive purposes?

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Is not every product in existence regressive? Should a carton of eggs have progressively higher prices depending on your tax bracket? Where do we draw the line between what an individual is responsible for and what the government an invisible person richer than myself is supposed to provide?

[mencken]

Necessary for the state to get revenue? Yes. Moral? No

It has been my belief that taxation is theft.

Taxation is sort of social contract (yes, I hate Rousseau, but couldn't think of any better word now). Taxes are necessary so the state can protect you.

I've never understood the "taxation is theft" argument. Without taxes nobody except the super rich would be able to actually afford to live. So only people who drive on the road should pay for it? Ok, well have fun with massive tolls that nobody could afford to get anywhere but you know "fake freedom!".

IIRC, are not highways already currently funded using the gas tax?