Taxation as theft

Loot and Extortion. Statues at Trago Mills (near Liskeard, Cornwall), dedicated to the UK Inland Revenue Service

The position that taxation is theft, and therefore immoral, is found in a number of political philosophies. Its popularization marks a significant departure from conservatism and classical liberalism, and has been considered radical by many as a result.[1][2] The position is often held by anarcho-capitalists, objectivists, most minarchists, right-wing libertarians, and voluntaryists, as well as left-anarchists, libertarian socialists and some anarcho-communists.

Proponents of this position see taxation as a violation of the non-aggression principle.[3] Under this view, government transgresses property rights by enforcing compulsory tax collection, regardless of what the amount may be.[4][5] Some opponents of taxation, like Michael Huemer, argue that rightful ownership of property should be based on what he calls "natural property rights", not those determined by the law of the state.[6]

Defenders of taxation argue that the notions of both legal private property rights and theft are defined by the legal framework of the state, and thus taxation by the state does not represent a violation of property law, unless the tax itself is illegal.[7][8] Some defenders of taxation, such as socialist Matt Bruenig, argue that the phrase "taxation is theft" is question-begging, since it relies on presupposing a particular theory of property entitlement.[9]

  1. ^ Goff, Phillip (29 September 2019). "Is taxation theft?". Aeon Magazine. Archived from the original on 6 November 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020. Some radical libertarians hold that all taxation is immoral, on the grounds that it amounts to the state stealing the money of private citizens. This is an extreme position, but the sense that tax…
  2. ^ Doherty, Brian (2009). Radicals for Capitalism. ISBN 9780786731886. Retrieved 22 August 2022 – via Google Books. Doherty notes that in the 1960s, the self-proclaimed Radical Libertarian Alliance had "taxation is theft" as a central tenet and a constituent of its motto.
  3. ^ Chodorov, Frank (26 February 2007). "Taxation Is Robbery". Mises Institute. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  4. ^ Feser, Edward. "Taxation, Forced Labor, and Theft (The Independent Review, Fall 2000, pp. 219–235)" (PDF). Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  5. ^ Tame, Chris R. "Taxation Is Theft (Libertarian Alliance Political Note No 44, 1989)" (PDF). Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  6. ^ "Is Taxation Theft?". Libertarianism.org. Spring 2017.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Murphy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Badie, Bertrand; Berg-Schlosser, Dirk; Morlino, Leonardo, eds. (2011). "???". International Encyclopedia of Political Science. SAGE Publications. p. 2132. doi:10.4135/9781412994163. ISBN 9781412959636. Hence, private property cannot exist without a political system that defines its existence, its use, and the conditions of its exchange. That is, private property is defined and exists only because of politics.
  9. ^ "Violence, Property, Theft, and Entitlement".