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IRS braces for $500bn drop in revenue as taxpayers skip filings in wake of DOGE cuts
(www.independent.co.uk)
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this post was submitted on 23 Mar 2025
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Economics
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Taxation is theft, so not paying them is fine by me. But if you're going to do so, you probably shouldn't be shouting about it on the internet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gZ2dc58pHc
No it's not. Not paying your taxes and using public services is more arguably theft.
So you enjoy killing people. Got you. Because that's what your tax money is used for. To fund wars halfway across the globe. For people you've never met and who have caused you no harm.
Not in my country. What? You forgot the USA wasn't the only country in the world?
It seems like you have a problem with capitalism, not with the concept of taxes.
What a disingenuous take. Surely you can see how no one's going to take that message seriously, and no one will be convinced?
Taxes also pay for health care, roads, libraries, arts, and countless other things. Do you hate health care, roads, libraries, and art? I mean, maybe, but I wouldn't be confident about guessing that based solely on your position on taxation.
None of this is supporting your initial claim of "taxation is theft"
Oh yes, because the United States has such great healthcare that a CEO was shot in broad daylight on the streets of New York. But a couple of months ago. As for roads and libraries and such, that's what state taxes are for. Mind you, I somewhat disagree with state taxation as well, but at least state taxation benefits you directly.
You have an issue with capitalism not taxation and that's ignoring the fact that if we reverted back to pre 1940 tax schemes we would be taking in more money and only the richest people in America would pay a dime.
That is irrelevant to your claim of "Taxation is theft". Taxes pay for programs like medicare, medicaid, and social security, which are extremely popular.
Pushing stuff down to the state level makes coordination difficult, some projects impossible, and again is irrelevant to your argument that taxation is theft
If taxes pay for Social Security, then why do I keep hearing that Social Security is bankrupt or will be by like 2031? If pushing taxation down to the state level makes a project impossible to do, then perhaps that project should not have been done to begin with.
Because conservatives have been trying to kill social security since its inception. It shouldn't really be in any danger of insolvency, barring conservative sabotage. A trivial search finds many articles about this: https://www.forbes.com/advisor/retirement/social-security-bankrupt/
This is clearly pants on head stupid. Postal service. Interstate transit systems. Weather forecasting. Just off the top of my head.
And again, one more time, you haven't backed up your initial claim that "Taxation is theft".
Taxation is theft simply because you did not agree to it or you did not have a choice but to agree to it. The only difference between the IRS demanding taxes from you and a street criminal demanding part of your paycheck every month not to hurt you is that you see the IRS as legitimate where you see the street criminal as a criminal. But they are both criminals.
You have a choice, go somewhere government isn't but I guarantee you choose not to.
Why are they both criminals? What law are they going breaking? I think the IRS, as part of the sovereign government of the US, cannot really be criminal. I think that's getting into some like philosophy of "what is the state?" stuff though, which is beyond my expertise.
You seem to be rejecting the whole idea of social contracts and representative government. Which, ok, but that's going against quite a long history.
Of course the IRS isn't breaking the laws, because they write the laws, and therefore they can exempt themselves from said laws. If you tried to do the same thing the IRS does, you would be arrested. So for the same action, you get penalized while this other group gets legitimized.
That doesn't explain how they are "criminal". that was the word you used.
Many things are either subject to penalties or legitimacy based on context. If you cut someone open and take out their kidney, that's probably a crime! Unless you're a doctor doing a surgery in a hospital. Context matters.
That's just an argument that the military budget should be dramatically reduced (absolutely agree!), not that taxation is a problem in general.
Can't fund the military without taxation. If you told citizens to donate to support a war effort halfway across the globe that has no impact on their daily lives, they'd be absolutely certain to do it. /s. Now, coerce them with the threat of being thrown in a cage, or at the barrel of a gun, and that's different.
Yes, but you CAN have taxation without funding the military. You're throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
I don't think taxation is the only way to do this, but you do need some kind of process for ensuring common social services and infrastructure exist and are maintained. Taxation is what we have now. How would you support those services without it?
If you absolutely must have taxation, then have state taxation. Because I don't see the state of Texas declaring war on Pakistan.
How would you fund federal services?
Seems to me the problem isn't taxation, it's the process for deciding how that government spending is distributed..
You can't fix that problem. The fact that there is a big pile of money there means that greedy people will attempt to get their hands on it. No matter what. So the only way to fix that is to not have the big pile of money sitting there to begin with.
So... you think that: a) you can't change the way government spends money, but b) you can change the way government receives money?
That's an interesting world view.
Don't give the government money at all.
Get off the internet, it was started because of government funding. Don't drive on roads, government funding. Don't use gas or a car, or helmets or drink water, or take any medicine. You can't wear clothes you didn't make yourself, don't live in a house that was built to code. Forget gfic outlets. Electronics that meet safety regs? Get rid of them. You better not have an up to date Electrical box either. Food safety? More government overreach funded by taxes. Those wastages.
While I'm typically all for debate and reason, this take is objectively the most fucking moronic spew of nonsense every single time I come across it on par with the sovereign citizen batshit nonsense.
Lol, go and visit some country with a very low tax rate or no tax. need to visit a hospital? That's a 3h drive across some unpaved road on the next big city. Want to cook your food? Go and collect some wood for your brick stove, because the city does not provide gas or power to your house. Need water or power? See gas. Want to read a book? Bad luck, there was no free school service in your village to learn how to read. House on fire or crime in the neighborhood? Well I have more bad news for you. Neighboring country does not like you and want to expand into your territory? I wonder what some hillbillies, preppers and tax free conservatives do against a modern army that has aircraft, amour or armed drones.
Not paying taxes is theft.
The government is going to spend whatever it wants. They will get the money by printing it if they can't get it from tax. This causes rampant inflation, which is the same as a flat tax.
By not paying your share of taxes, you're simply stealing from your neighbors.
You're part of the problem go back to civics class and this time pay attention.
Hey everyone. Look at this guy. He's the one that 'splits' the bill with his friends without adding tax, tips, or drinks