look, your argument is fair but inaccurate. When the Insurance company’s negotiated rate on a heart attack is 14k, but the hospital bills you 300k, then the problem is we’ve allowed for private healthcare to make more sense and forced government funded healthcare to be overly complex.

Let me repeat this but in capitalism, we have DONE THIS PURPOSELY so that private healthcare companies can make money.

I mean toll roads make sense, I'm not sure why we're expected to pay to use public transport but not roads, when roads are far more expensive to maintain and us driving literally causes them to be damaged.

If roads and parking are free then public transit should be free. Otherwise toll roads are fine by me, although they're technically a regressive charge in the US and Canada since you're kind of forced to use a car in most areas... I mean car dependence itself is a giant regressive charge so that's just one part of it.

But assuming we had actual functional transportation infrastructure, toll roads would actually be preferrable near more densely populated areas since it makes you think twice about using your car instead of taking a train or biking.

One of my theories is that not only is it about how these taxes get used (as in the OP), but also in the US you have these constant reminders, it's not added to your restaurant bills or supermarket prices until the end, you have to calculate it yourself all the time and that keeps it front of mind. I never used to even think about tax until I started my own business (since now I don't have to pay it for business expenses). When something costs 100€ it costs 100€, you don't think about the fact 20 of them are tax because you, as a consumer, pay 100 and that's that. Same with salary, it gets taken at the source and once a year you just need to verify, and usually you get some money back making it a positive experience.

A society requires governance. Staff to set and enforce rules, staff and supplies to execute services which provide social and physical infrastructure.

Certain things every community needs: Healthcare, education, transportation, utilities, support services for special needs, safety, rehabilitation for rule breakers, etc.

A government can figure out how to provide these services (with in-house or out-sourced expertise) and provide you with one bill (taxes). Or they can privatize a service, meaning you still need it and they may regulate it, but you'll be paying someone else for that service.

The value of taxes should be considered in this light. How much do I pay for all the services me and my community needs, and what portion of that is taxes. Then compare to other countries to see how well our governance system is functioning.

Does privatization save cost? What balance of regulation keeps things affordable vs driving up expenses? What balance of in-house expertise vs outsourcing is the most functional? What is the cost to quality of life having to pay bills to 15 organizations vs one? Where is there an extra heavy burden of cost and what can we do through regulation to fix it? These are the questions we should be interested in when it comes to governance, an elected official's personality or opinions should be negligible factors.

We also have a constant drumbeat about how taxes are evil coming from politicians and pundits that represent half the political spectrum, all because they've discovered it's a good way to turn people against the other half.

I've seen how veterans are treated. There's no way I'd join the military even if I didn't find it ethically unacceptable.

what you’re missing is the fact that most of us pay for healthcare through our employer. Clearly a win, yes? no. no it is not.

For those of us “lucky” americans that did the FUKCING MATH, i pay more in healthcare + taxes when you account for the $12,000 deductibles annually and (AND!!!!) the cost of the privilege for having insurance of anywhere 600-1600 per month. Nevermind the fact the stupid private party insurance gets to decide if “I” am allowed to get a procedure. So i pay for someone else to make a decision that my doctor determines is necessary, which is declined (of course), then appealed (and denied), and now somehow i’m hooked on some fucking opiate because the pain is so great while I wait for Jim at statefarm to approve my necessary procedure. Oh, somewhere in there lets throw in a termination from my employer for showing up high on synthetically prescribed heroin (dilaudid) and now i’ve lost said insurance that i’ve paid 12000 into.

Or I could pay less in taxes by just hoping I will live longer that the conservative (and even some democrats) party dies a horrible death. All without the needed medication and coverage that is keeping me alive… am I winning yet?

So there you have it, those not paying for insurance are winning the war against… fuck, i don’t know anymore, what are we fighting? Right, right, the evils of socialized healthcare and “higher taxes”.

yes, i am ok. no the dilaudid story is true but it is not me, it was someone i knew… guy voted trump until he took care of his own mental issues permanently and fought you all the way.

Literally, in that most soldiers at "home" are homeless...in America anyway.

Looks like they're lower than The US, for the lower income me brackets, and comparable to the higher brackets

https://www.mygov.scot/income-tax-rates-and-personal-allowances

Same as US + health insurance premium

Keep in mind, 80% of that is private spending on insurance premiums and out of pocket expenses.

Americans spend a lot on mediocre healthcare because we have to line the pockets of insurance companies and drug companies.

And yet you'll still go into debt forever to pay for your own healthcare.

But at least basically anyone can own a gun, so yay freedom, I guess.