By the time I was around 10 years old I had already developed a sense that I wanted a cabin in the mountains where I would hunt and gather my own food, make my own buckskin clothes, and just be left alone to live as I wanted (much to the eternal distress of my conventional parents).
I had it all figured out ... until my parents informed me that if I didn't pay "property tax" on the land the government would take it away from me.
Even at that age, I knew that this was ridiculous and wrong. If you own something, you OWN it. You don't have to pay a yearly ransom to keep it!
I think "property tax" is fundamentally more evil than other "taxes". ALL "taxes" are theft-by-government at gunpoint and not justifiable, but "property tax" raises the bar for evil. And those stolen dollars are used to fund the despicable government indoctrination system.
I think "property tax" is fundamentally more evil than other "taxes". ALL "taxes" are theft-by-government at gunpoint and not justifiable, but "property tax" raises the bar for evil. And those stolen dollars are used to fund the despicable government indoctrination system.
Consider this: If you do not want to pay "sales tax" you could theoretically barter and trade for all the goods that you couldn't produce for yourself.
Hate the "income tax"? Do what I did and reduce your income to zero (or barely above that).
But how to have a HOME and not have "property tax"? Some people claim you can avoid "property taxes" by renting. I think they are wrong. You could rent, but even then the landlord has to include the cost of the "property tax" into the rent, or he loses money- and will probably ultimately lose the house and you'll still be out of a home. To really avoid "property taxes" you could be a squatter, or you could be a "permanent tourist". These strategies work for some people but have their own risks and problems.
Unfortunately the desire to have a homestead is one of the strongest urges for humans. We are very territorial creatures. Governments exploit this basic human desire because they are allowed to.
(From my archives. Originally posted September 07, 2006. Updated.)
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Excellent writing. I have never considered which of the many types of taxes are worst, but I think you are correct.
ReplyDeleteWhat about estate taxes that punish you for dying?
ReplyDeleteI'd say they punish your surviving relatives for not dying... but I'd say that's still a "property tax"- "taxing" property that has already been bought (and the sales "tax" paid), or stealing the property.
ReplyDeleteIronically enough, I am looking at the possibility of severe financial pain due to an estate "tax" that my daughter's mom failed to make sure her lawyer filed years ago on her former fiancee's estate. Out of the blue the state found her and is threatening her because the estate was never finalized- and the lawyer had told her "I'm filing the papers". But he never did and didn't try very hard to get back in touch with her. Anyway, I'm glad it's her and not me, but I'll miss eating. Sigh.
I completely agree. These 'tribute' demands are the most blatantly unjust of all the States robberies. Today no man's home is his castle, there is no place of refuge where you can feel secure. Property taxes have bastardized and defiled the very concept of 'ownership' and perverted it into a state of perpetual 'rentership’. with the State as the self-proclaimed landlord. A situation indistinguishable from the Ancien Régime where the 'King' owned everything and everybody.
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