Oddbean

I used to agree wholeheartedly. I think it stems from one's view of 'authority'. If there is such a thing as legitimate authority, then there could be such a thing as a legitimate tax. I understand the point, but I also believe there is legit authority in the world, thus a legit tax would not be theft. Then the question becomes, who/what is a legit authority. Also, just having legit authority does not mean any and all taxes are legit. Therefore, what, how and how much to tax is also not so simple. I didn't want to get into the etymological fallacy but I wanted to get a sense of where the words even came from. To know exactly what at least I mean when I use those terms. Authority comes basically from 'author', meaning progenitor, the builder, creator, owner etc... Thus anyone they 'author-ize' has 'author-ity'. Tax was essentially a 'burden'. Yes, in its origin it was almost always placed upon you by another, but it is not necessarily so. We all know that caring for our home and property can be taxing. One could even say that such maintenance is stealing my time (it TAKES time) that one might wish/will to be doing other things. Nature 'taxes' me with rain and falling leaves in my gutters. Call it a tax or not, she places a burden upon me. I start from there and consider what may and may not be appropriate. If I have, for instance, ownership/authority over something and you wish to be there or use it in some way, I may certainly charge you, burden you with a payment.... tax? What's the difference? Just something to consider. I'll leave off there...