lowtek
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Apart from film making yes, my point was I won't have to interrupt myself with the tiresome chore of making money
"President Exalted Life!"
"Yes General Mubatto what is it?"
"The army, they are saying they want more money."
"But we pay them well, their wages are six times the average for a soldier in this part of the world."
"Yes, but they say that the rich people they are guarding can afford to pay them more."
"Mmm, Okay, give them a small raise."
"Thank you El Presidente. Now the matter of the eighty seven million people who of course still live here even though you have 'bought' the country."
"What of them?"
"Well years of corruption and underdevelopment have left the infrastructure of the country in tatters. They say that now their country is owned and lived in by billionaires, they should have better roads and schools."
"Okay, well build them."
"The estimated bill for new roads, plumbing, and electrical system is around $228 billion dollars, and that's just to build, it doesn't take into account the ongoing upkeep costs."
"Fine, we'll just ask the billionaires to up their voluntary donations."
"But Mr President."
"Yes?"
"The billionaires say that they are not going to increase their voluntary donations, as they do not want to pay tax. Plus not everyone is giving money freely."
"But we need the money to make the country safe and a nice place to live."
"They say that they are happy with their private security, and their dwellings are very nice to live in, thank you very much. They say that if the poor want to better themselves they should work harder."
"Tell them I am imposing a 10% limit on the voluntary donations."
"Okay."
Some months later.
"Mr President!"
"Yes General Mubatto?"
"The rich are not paying your 10% voluntary donation. We are still short by over $150 billion dollars to fund the country regrowth program and to pay the army extra money. Plus of course we slip further into debt with the World Bank every day. In the time it took me to say that sentence we owe them another $22.5 million in interest payments alone."
"Hmm, well I'm making a law then, the 10% donation must be paid if you want to live here."
"Mr President!"
"What!?"
"Isn't that just the same as tax?"
"Get out General Mubatto."
It's an old canard, but one that completely misunderstands the nature of taxation.
1) Taxation is enforced at gun point. Literally. Don't pay your taxes, and you will be put in a cage. Resist and you will be shot.
2) Public infrastructure would exist in the absence of coerced funding. Business has a vested interest in building and maintaining infrastructure (no roads means no sales), and would undertake public works. The cost would be rolled into the pricing of the goods. This is really the only way for everyone to pay their "fair share".
The biggest problem with an anarcho capitalist society is not "who will build the roads", but that the people actively cry out for a boot on their throat. The average person has not risen to the level of personal responsibility required for such a society to function. It's about 1 to 200 years too early.
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