Taxes are often discussed as something people would like to reduce. In some countries the skepticism towards taxation is higher than in others.
Let's start with the perception from the photo. Many are having such an opinion when it comes to taxes. They feel that it is limiting their freedom when they are forced to pay taxes.
Especially libertarians are having the belief that taxes should be reduced to the very minimum, so we just can sustain a state having the very fundamental functions such as the police. In other words we should only pay enough taxes to prevent the state of nature where we all will be fighting for survival.
With such a low taxation every individual will have the personal responsibility to assure their health, to assure their survival in case they will be unemployed and to assure that their income is high enough to provide education for their children. For the ones having a strong portfolio this can very well prove be a perfect system.
The moral of this kind of taxation is that every individual has the chance to decide their own destiny.
This means that you can reduce your chance of getting sick by living a healthy life style, therefore reducing your payments to health insurance and surgeries.
You can also use do your very best in order to always stay employed and therefore never be in the need of any kind of benefits from the state.
In such a case there is no reason to pay taxes in order to have a state that provides safety.
Another main argument in favor of a minimal taxation is that nobody will pay in order to feed the free-riders.
Especially in the USA we see that the existence of free-riders is something that the majority of the tax payers would like to avoid taking place. Actually the free-riders are mentioned many times as the reason why taxes should be reduced.
The point of view with a minimal tax bill is in my personal opinion the classical American view on taxation.
But it is not only the ones who are having the American/libertarian view of taxation that believes that paying taxes is a limitation of your freedom.
In countries with a high level of corruption the citizens tends to be very negative about paying taxes and the reason is obvious. They simply don't believe that the taxes are invested wisely by the government instead it is believed that the politicians are feeding themselves and their friends. The citizens are therefore trying to avoid paying taxes whenever the chance appears. When living in a corrupt society the money you earn can be the ticket to your freedom.
Now that we have covered two skeptic views on taxation it is time to have a look at the pro taxation view, and yes there are people in favor of a high taxation.
In Denmark people have for some generations now been happy about paying taxes. The reason why they are happy to contribute is that it is crucial in order to sustain the universal welfare state.
The citizens of Denmark don't have to worry about health insurance, education for the children or whether they can provide food to the family in case they get unemployed.
This huge feeling of safety and stability is what creates such a loyalty and it is what makes them willing to pay up to 55% in tax.
For people outside of Denmark it do sometimes sound like a communist society where the state is taking much of your salary and deciding how they would be wisely invested. The Danes feels that if they are to keep the level of safety then they would need to continue the contribution to the state through the tax payments.
Somehow it has become a part of the national identity being a proud tax payer, contributing to a very well functioning society.
Coming back to the question of freedom, the Danes do actually feel free because the basic needs always are covered and they can therefore move their focus towards their personal goals.
Taxes can therefore be an issue for our freedom in some cases while the taxes in other cases are assisting the people feeling free.
There are many opinions about taxes and whether it is fair that some are paying while others aren't, but at the end of the day it seems that we all would have to pay taxes.
What is your opinion about taxation is it a limitation of our freedom?
