If a government was fully funded by land sales and a poll tax..

Economics Political Theory
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1

Could it be described as voluntary? I mean imagine the US federal, state, county, and municipal governments reduced their size to the point where borrowing, inflation, and most forms of taxes were not required to feed the beast. Now imagine that these institutions funded their operations through both land sales, for example selling off town, state, and federal parks, and through the poll tax. Could such a system of government serve as a middle ground for minarchist and ancaps? By poll tax I mean that you would have to pay money in order to vote. If you didn’t want to vote then you wouldn’t have to pay tax. And as an added clarification I should point out that land sales would include the sale of the ocean/seabed that surrounds a given country/territory.

What are some forseeable shortcomings that could arise out of this situation? Would it still be a coercive system because of the lack of choice when it comes to choosing security providers? Do the ancap, voluntaryists et al on this board view such coercion as acceptable because the means through which revenue is gained is voluntary?

Thoughts and comments appreciated.

2

Still a coercive monopoly… and how did they come to be the legitimate owners of all that land?

3

Let’s assume that the state isn’t the legitimate owner of federal, state, town land and that it has been appropriated by force in the past (whether by thumping the natives or eminent domain etc). How does this fact make true land reform anymore practical? It might be a compromise to allow the government to sell of land, but unless you’re willing to engage in violence I don’t see the state voluntarily saying " My bad, we’re not the proper owners; our apologies." anytime soon. I posted the not-too-well-fleshed-out scenario as sort of a midpoint/ transitional approach.

BTW I do agree with you that the state is not the legitimate owner of any land, but I just can’t see anyway of getting land out of the state’s hands without selliing it.

4

Would I still have to follow the rest of the government’s coercive laws and regulations?

5

Yes.