On the record
On what principle does a man pay his taxes to the government, except on that of contributing his proportion towards the necessary cost of protecting the rights of all?
Said by
Lysander Spooner
Source
gutenberg.orgLysander Spooner: “On what principle does a man pay his taxes to the government, except on that of contributing his proportion towards the…”
Editor's note · Context
Spooner questions the rationale behind tax payments, linking them to the protection of rights.
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More from Lysander Spooner
They do not tell us that they have established infallible supreme courts, to whom they refer all questions as to the legality of their acts, and that they do nothing that is not sanctioned by these courts.
In short, they acknowledge themselves hostes humani generis: enemies of the human race.
They do not tell us that all liberty and order would be destroyed, that society itself would go to pieces, and man go back to barbarism, if it were not for the care, and supervision, and protection, they lavish upon us.
They do not attempt to deceive us, or mislead us, or reconcile us to their doings, by any such pretences, impostures, or insults as these.