I hear this false argument frequently. "Taxation is not theft. The Bible allows taxes."
The pro-State troll usually cites "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's."
Citing the Bible doesn't convince me. I'm not Christian.
"The Bible allows taxes." doesn't convince me that taxation is not theft. Christianity is an evil religion filled with lies. Christianity is a slave religion. Most mainstream religious have this defect.
Christianity says "Accept abuse while you're alive, and you'll be rewarded after you die." That's encouraging someone to be an obedient slave. By definition, nobody can know what really happens after you die.
Is Christianity the One True Religion? Is it a massive brainwashing campaign? Christianity is popular, because it tells people "It's OK that you're a slave."
As another example, Christianity tells "Turn the other cheek!" That means you should not resist when someone robs you, especially when someone with State authority robs you. That is a somewhat convincing approximation to the truth, because it's half correct.
Christianity correctly says "You should not rob other people." However, it is morally desirable to resist when someone robs you. The Non-Aggression Principle is more accurate than "Turn the other cheek!"
If everyone who gets robbed resists, then the criminals will rapidly find their crime unprofitable. That applies to common criminals. That also applies to State-licensed crime and tax collectors.
It is risky to resist, when someone with superior weapons or numbers tries to rob you. That's a separate issue compared to the morality of resistance.
For example, if the police come to kidnap/arrest you, it's probably better tactics to surrender peacefully than resist. It's morally acceptable to resist. However, if you do resist, then the police may execute you right there.
Some hardcore Christians object to taxes, because taxes are used for war. At one time, Quakers strongly objected to taxes. However, "Taxes are evil because they support war." is less accurate than "All taxation is theft, no matter how they're collected and no matter how taxes are spent."
"Taxation is not theft because the Bible says so." makes as much sense as "Taxation is not theft because a group of insider lawyers more than 200 years ago wrote some magic words on a piece of paper." The Bible is a defective 2000 year old document. The Constitution is a defective 200+ year old document.
In State media, the Constitution is worshipped with holy reverence. The correct answer is that the Constitution is not a valid contract. I don't have the option to accept or reject it. My consent is implied based on where I was born.
I have limited freedom to move to another country and pick different owners. No matter where I live, there's a government criminal conspiracy that claims the right to steal my labor and my property.
The Bible doesn't justify taxes. The Constitution doesn't justify taxes. The correct answer is "All taxation is theft! It makes no difference how it's collected or what it's used for."
Even if you could magically recreate a sharply limited government, it would grow back in size to the current monster. Government has a monopoly. If politicians and insiders claim more power, the slaves are SOL.
The natural tendency is for government to grow over time. Eventually, there's a crash and collapse. People start over with a copy of the old system, or a new system. The "new system" this time will hopefully be market anarchism.
Voting doesn't prevent high taxes. Politicians will usually vote for more taxes, because taxes are the source of a politician's power. Without taxes, politicians are obviously a group of crazy people telling everyone else what to do. Without taxes, a judge would be a crazy guy wearing a robe. It's not reasonable to expect insiders to voluntarily restrict their own power.
Lloyd Blankfein claims that he's "doing God's work". Does that mean I'm doing Lucifer's work? "Lucifer" means "bringer of light" or "bringer of truth". I'm pointing out that Christianity teaches people to be obedient slaves. The Federal Reserve and IRS are dangerous terrorist organizations. All taxation is theft. The State is one huge extortion racket.
Nothing is sacred. Nobody is safe. Everything must go. Knowledge is free; it is the most valuable weapon a free people can have in the war against authority and hierarchy. I bloggregate from the miscellaneous battlefronts in this war. Unless we agree otherwise, I reserve the right to publish anything and everything you email me.