Paying Taxes

[BrianAnderson]

Yes, there are benefits to keeping more of your money, but this is true for the non-libertarian as well.

Well, there is that. All the government needs to function is your money. Even if the entire world were convinced of anarchists, the government would still exist because everyone would be paying taxes. Sure, they could print money, but I feel like it’d be much more obvious what the government is doing to the USD if everyone noticed the government running a huge budget without receiving any income.

but if that person says he does not pay taxes because he believes it advances libertarianism, I may (or may not - I haven’t much thought about this) say he is acting counterproductively.

I think it advances libertarianism. It proves to people that you can take that risk of declaring yourself sovereign from the government. How exactly would you say he’s acting counter-productively? I would agree that going to jail isn’t productive (although that’s debatable), but I think not paying taxes is extremely good for the cause of liberty. How else will people know when to stop paying taxes in general?

You don’t have to put your libertarian convictions over other values. If it were determined that the best strategy to advancing the libertarian cause required giving up certain conveniences of modern life, my desire to live a comfortable life would likely outweigh my desire to promote libertarianism.

I agree with that. I mean, if they were to ever ‘randomly select’ me for an airport groping, and it was the only chance I had to visit my family for the entire year or something, while I would be as much of a pain in the ass as I could to the TSA people, I’d eventually just get the pat-down. If I didn’t get to see my family that year, they’d still be choosing for me what happens in my life.

[EmperorNero]

@ImagesandWords

EmperorNero, by “some” are you referring to libertarians or non?

I suppose that mostly applies to non-libertarians. I think libertarians pay taxes because they don’t want to go to prison. If not that then just that they want to avoid the paperwork and harassment of not paying taxes. That and because consumption taxes are already included in the price of goods. So it’s physical coercion either way.

Of course there is such a thing as a non-activist libertarian. That is you prefer a small government society but libertarianism is something you think, not something you do.

[ImagesandWords]

Thanks to all. Once again you’ve all given me some things to think through and that was the point in asking to begin with.

[MaikU]

@ImagesandWords

Other than the obvious avoidance of imprisonment, what is/are the/some of the reasons libertarians pay taxes?

due to a habit? Hahaha.

[Caley_McKibbin]

I’ve never paid it.

[ImagesandWords]

Caley, What exactly do you mean?