Why do you think democratic representative governments impose taxes? Can you give me the positive reasons?

Question

Please do not consider gov'ts by dictatorship either by selfish tyrants or religious zealots.

I always try to pick the BA after I extend the answer period as long as allowed. I always try to be as fair as I can evaluating and picking the BA. I too listen to NPR and to KPFT and I love A's that teach and which I can learn from. Ialredy see an A that does that.

Answer 1

It is funny you should ask this question. I just heard on public radio a program on the GI Bill of Rights which was passed during World War II. It said that the federal government of the U.S. paid about 14 million dollars to educate, train, and help soldiers coming back from the war to get on their feet and it is estimated that the government got about eight times that amount in return in the taxes paid by the people who benefited from it.
Taxes are ideally used as a means of supporting the infrastructure of our country, which includes the government, and to pay for the defense of the country. Unfortunately, over half of U. S. tax money goes for defense, up to two-thirds. The little money that goes to supporting people and helping people who need it is well spent. In the fifties, Eisenhower used our taxes to build the highway system and roads. This money was well spent, despite the fact it is often in ill repair. There have been other worthwhile projects.

Answer 2

Not all democratic governments use taxation, some use seignorage. Seignorage, or printing extra money for government use, is highly inflationary, but in many cultures neither the information network exists nor a system which isn't considered corrupt.

Inflation makes poor people increasingly poor and the rich richer. Taxation tends to seek people who can pay with the greatest ease.

Taxation then is a charge by the majority against a minority.

Further, even though some democracies such as Iran are primitive, I would not exclude them. The Iranian government is highly reminiscent of the British parliamentary democracy of around 1800. The mullahs can be thought of as a House of Lords. They still must operate in a world of social contracts and part of that contract is a restricted participatory democracy. It is important to remember that most scientists do not classify America as a modern democracy until the 1960's. Australia beat America to that standard.

Answer 3

one of the role of government is to provide public goods/services. Which maybe things such as national defense and infrastructure which benefit everyone but would be difficult to make each individual pay for the cost voluntarily (e.g. the free rider problem). And to fund those public goods you need money and tax is a way of providing that.

Answer 4

Tax cuts are the way to prosperity. We already pay too much in taxes. The money is going to waste most of the times too. Vote republican in 08 if you want to see the country to continue to flourish. If a dem gets in there we'll be back in the 70's with one of the worst recessions ever !!

Answer 5

Because taxes pay for things so the people in the government can do things. If they didn't impose taxes, the non-tax-payers would privately own everything, and there would be nothing public. No highways, no hospitals, no public schools, no public libraries... etc....