Repeat after me – I AM FREE
This past week, a trip to the licensing station in Florida and another to the Sars offices in Horizon View once again triggered the libertarian in me. There is a quote by a fellow libertarian which rings true – “The sad truth is that the human animal has been domesticated to the point where it actually fears liberty”.
So on to liberty.
Although the following taxes and licenses are those US citizens fork out for in a year, similar taxes apply to us – property tax, sales tax, state income tax, marriage licence fees, vehicle registration tax, business registration fees, sin tax (cigarettes and alcohol), court fees, drivers’ licence fees, social security taxes, gift tax, UIF, estate taxes, fishing licences, hunting licences, toll roads, import taxes, inheritance tax, license plate fees, parking meter fares, passport administration fees, professional licence fees, service charges, entrances to state-owned nature reserves, firearm licences, and my favourite – personal income tax. The list of oppressive and arbitrary taxes and licences goes on and on. (Oh yes … a law is now on the table in South Africa to strictly regulate the selling and exchange of seeds. Therefore, small traditional farmers will face the wrath of the “law” should they exchange seeds the old fashioned way).
But let’s for a moment take income tax. If I go to your house and demand 40 per cent of your hard-earned cash at gunpoint, that is coercion, also known as robbery, and I will most likely be jailed. But if the government forces you to hand over 40 per cent of your income with the threat (coercion) that you will go to jail if you don’t, then it is “law”? Mmm …?
And do not come to me with the “who will build the roads, bridges etc” argument. An interesting fact is that until 1913 US citizens paid no income tax yet all the amenities and infrastructure of the time, such as roads, schools, bridges and the likes were in place. It was also the American revolt against a tea tax imposed by the British in 1775 which led to their independence.
So fill in those forms. Do not walk on the grass. And repeat after me – I AM FREE.
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