Conservative students need to cut the silly ‘taxation is theft’ slogan

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You’ve probably seen the signs, t-shirts, and social media posts declaring “taxation is theft!” Popularized by conservative and libertarian student groups like Turning Point USA and Young Americans for Liberty, the phrase has gained widespread popularity as a rallying cry for young people. But what started out as a slogan meant for t-shirts has now evolved into an axiom for debate in conservative political circles. Even worse, to some this position has become orthodoxy. If taxation is theft, and theft is inherently wrong and should be stopped, then the implication is that taxes are also inherently wrong and should not exist.

The belief that there should be no taxation is becoming commonplace on the youthful wing of the Right. There are several huge problems with this.

First, as a matter of policy, this is an extreme, unsustainable position. It’s impossible to make a logical case against eliminating every form of taxation because society could and would no longer function as it currently does. Even the most limited view of the role of government as outlined in the Constitution, that the government should only exist to “establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence,” etc, could not be realized without taxation. Ensuring justice, domestic tranquility, a common defense, and general welfare are expensive. A study by Forbes found that the U.S. collectively spends $180 billion on policing and incarceration each year. How else would these young conservatives propose to pay for this if not through tax revenue?

In addition to being an extreme form of policy, mantras like “taxation is theft” make for massive political blunders. Although these groups of young people may abhor taxation, most Americans want more taxation, not less. A poll by Pew Research in September 2017 found that 52 percent of Americans supported raising taxes on large businesses and corporations, while 43 percent also supported raising taxes on households with income greater than $250,000. Furthermore, but not surprisingly, 59 percent of registered voters support Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s, D-N.Y., proposal to raise marginal tax rates to 70 percent on the wealthiest Americans.

While low taxation makes for good fiscal and economic policy, it’s horrible politics. The 2017 Trump tax cuts demonstrate that with its 46 percent disapproval rate. About 45 percent of Americans pay no federal income tax whatsoever and wealth inequality is greater than it’s ever been. The Republican Party and conservatives as a whole continually fail to accept or address these points, and it will eventually backfire. Americans couldn’t be clearer: they don’t want lower taxes. Yet young conservatives mistakenly think they can persuade and win over these tax-cut skeptical Americans by rallying behind the idea of no taxes at all.

They can’t. If young conservatives truly want lower taxes, then the goal should be to discuss the merits of a low-tax policy and the excessive, wasteful government spending of taxpayer money, not the inherent evils of taxation.

The Founders gave Congress the power to tax for a reason. They knew it would be necessary in order to create a well-functioning and fair society. This is not to say that all taxes are good or effective policy, or that the government doesn’t waste, misspend, and outright abuse taxpayer funds. The government does do this, as Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., so graciously demonstrates each year with his annual waste report.

The hearts of young conservatives and libertarians who detest taxation are in the right place. Absent unnecessary spending, waste, fraud, and abuse, the government could maintain the societal status quo while collecting significantly less in taxes. However, if young conservatives and libertarians wish to persuade others and preserve conservative tax policy, then they would be wise to drop the extreme but catchy talking points.

Eduardo Neret (@eduneret) is a contributor to Red Alert Politics. He is a senior at the University of Florida, where he runs The Daily Nerv, a student-run conservative online publication.

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