Quote from: BlackHatCoiner on June 25, 2024, 06:35:17 PM

Morals talking time.

Surely a matter of topic that has concerned many philosophers and intellectuals. I imagine most of (genuine) Bitcoiners be like "back-to-the-landers", libertarians, with desire to be self-sufficient. However, objectively speaking, taxation is theft. It's taking someone's property without their consent, and it is compulsory. It very much fits the definition of theft, even though you can find it slightly altered in other sources, like the Cambridge dictionary ("the crime of illegally taking something that belongs to someone else")

(That's right dear reader, that was a clickbait!)

The question is rather: Is taxation justifiable theft? A necessary evil? Libertarians tend to argue that it's wrong regardless the intentions. Taking someone's property without their permission is unethical, no matter how good you want to do with it. Others, who support social contract theory, argue that it's necessary and should be seen as "voluntary obligation".

There is no right or wrong answer (un)fortunately. Feel free to speak out loud.

My stance on this is that both "groups" bring some compelling arguments on the table, in favor of their ideology. I don't know. I think there's a place where we draw the line. For example, nowadays, I think we've crossed that line (towards more government of course). I don't think we need that much government into the markets.

I also feel really stupid when I see politicians talking about taxing gains from cryptocurrencies, with phrases like "unhosted wallets", or by attacking privacy services. They talk as if privacy invasion is a requirement, or "obligation" as per the social contract theory. I think this really crosses the line.

All that you might consider the greatest and most prosperous countries in the world have accepted the simple reality that taxes are necessary. In order for a country to stay independent and free to make it's own choices, it requires a military that can project power - these militaries, as long as they are properly controlled, require funding from the central government which is partly funded by taxes. In order to do many things, like customs checks, food healthchecks and countless other hidden benefits, you require some form of taxation and enforcement because it takes very little time for disorder to set in, where business owners will undermine rules for their own personal benefit if they can get away with it, to the detriment of everyone else.