Government and the Mafia Use the Same Business Model

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Taxation is theft. Despite the phrase’s memetic prevalence in political culture, I believe it also to be true. 

In the private sector, money is voluntarily exchanged between those looking for access to goods and services and those who can provide those goods and services. If the goods and services received by the buyer do not match your expectations, you can renegotiate your payment. You may not always be successful in getting your money returned, but, in most cases, private companies, due to the incentives placed on them from the market, are more concerned with their public image, which they need to preserve to prevent loss of custom to competitors, than the loss of one sale. Of course, this is not always true - but in the vast majority of cases, it is. However, a different standard seems to be applied when money is taken by the government.