this post was submitted on 17 Apr 2026
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Explain Like I'm Five
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Some communities choose a different balance, lower property taxes and higher consumption taxes for example. The fact is that you expect certain services when you buy a house and that money has to come from somewhere. Generations of homeowners before you have voted to set things up the way they are, and you’re free to vote for someone with different ideas!
Lower taxes and higher consumption tax I am totally for.
You missed the biggest one that most anti-tax arguers don't think about. It's not the fact that you're paying taxes to support society that's the problem, it's how that money is being applied correctly. A tax based on use/demand makes sense in some instances, like road maintenance and development tied to gas tax. But things like schools and utilities should be based on what they need to support the community, not how often it gets used.
But if your taxes in any area is being wasted or misdirected, that is where you should be angry, not at the fact you're paying a tax for something. Better utilization and less fraud mean lower taxes with the same application, which is what you were wanting.
But how many citizens are even aware of where the money goes? They just see their bill and think they're paying too much, not why.
Toy model economics wise, you'll note that consumption tax means less consumption means fewer jobs means less consumption means even higher consumption tax, until you've got no city.
Tax on capital isn't great, in that people choose other capital or avoid keeping + improving it. But tax on land is the 'least bad tax', see georgism (by the guy who invented monopoly!).