The Case for Voluntary Taxation

When you first think of “voluntary taxation”, you may feel a bit dumbfounded or think that it’s a stupid idea. The two words put together make it sound like its something that would cripple our economy, but in reality it is much different. Voluntary taxation is a type of tax system that makes the government follow capitalist rules of engagement by allowing people to pay for what they get.

If this doesn’t make sense to you, then think about what taxes are, or in most cases, were. Taxes were subscription fees to the services of a nation. If and when you paid taxes, you got the benefits and protections of the government, and they were all useful. But now, since our government is much larger, this system has started to deteriorate. We are no longer in a situation where we pay for what we use, but instead one where we pay for a plethora of services that are both used and unused. This makes taxes no longer a true capitalist trade, as one side is forced to pay for things they will never use. It’s not like a TV company luring you into a sub-par package deal. It is plain theft. This is our problem.

When we give the government an upper hand in these sorts of agreements, they become immune to supply and demand. No corporation can compete with them, as the quality of the government’s product has no bearing on their income, since they are paid through taxes. Whereas a private entity would have to generate its wealth through quality, a public entity doesn’t, and therefor can charge absolutely nothing and be at a range of quality. This effect would absolutely wipe out any capitalist discourse.

“Henry”, you may ask, “How would voluntary taxation fix this?” Primarily, it would force every facet of the government that could face private competition to become self-sufficient and follow the rules of supply and demand, like a private organization. This would in turn cause the quality of government products to rise, and the price to plummet, while ensuring that all money they receive is used efficiently. Now that the government no longer has a leg up on private entities, they can start infiltrating the sectors that were previously thought of to be government-only, like low cost schooling and water distribution. With the influx of competition, everyone wins.

In totality, voluntary taxation would help us all by forcing the government to become more efficient while also bolstering the economy and giving back money to people who don’t use the government’s utilities.