Are taxes really punishment, or simply the way govts generate revenue?
“Are taxes really punishment, or simply the way govts generate revenue?”
Depends if you are the government or the worker. The US tax code is obviously written to reward certain behaviors and punish others based on the good/bad judgements of the idiots in congress. We have all gotten used to this manipulation and consider it normal - but it is just government interference in people’s lives and an attempt to direct their actions.
It's a difference without distinction. In either event I have someone taking money that I have earned and giving me back almost nothing. Taxes are theft (so I guess they'd be closer to punishment)