Quote:
Originally Posted by inBOIL
If the activity isn't bad enough to ticket and fine people over, it's not bad enough for the government to discourage. It also takes the focus away from problems that harm society and shifts it unjustly to individual acts that, by themselves, don't hurt anyone. For example:
I have no problem with fines for people who drive drunk, start barfights, etc., but alcohol taxes affect those who drink responsibly as much as those who cause problems.
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I agree with this. I'm generally opposed to using the tax code for social engineering.
I'm not opposed to taxes in general, I see them as a necessary evil. I am opposed to taxing something simply because people disapprove of it. I don't have a problem with (reasonable) taxes on gasoline, for example, becuase it could be justified, by using said funds to build and maintain the roads upon which people drive their vehicles (provided said tax is actually used in the fashion I describe).