Brassy Tax

Just when you thought that you would have to wait until next week for another of my articles, I slipped in a quickie before the weekend. My newest essay over at The American Spectator ruminates over the moral foundation of the state's right to tax.

Here are a few lines, in case you have a mirror handy:

In brief, the brief for all taxation is the notion that the state provides something that facilitates the transaction. If a person earns income in a certain place, he does so by relying on the protection of his person and his property -- and often the enforcement of the contracts -- afforded by the local governing authority. If he buys a product or a piece of real estate, he can be taxed on the same basis. The state in effect takes a commission.