> * tax evasion (kindly fuck of with "it's legal so it's avoidance", it's evasion even if it's legal. Spirit of the law)
At its heart, modern tax law separates people into classes and then allocating the burden of maintaining society unequally between those classes.
The spirit of the law that you are defending here is that people should shoulder unequal responsibilities to their society. Although that isn't controversial, it also doesn't automatically have a moral high ground; it could be a better outcome if everyone contributed equally. It just happens that everyone contributing equally flat-out won't work, because most people can't contribute enough.
The spirit of the law is unfair. That is an unfortunate reality of taxes - in a sense they can't reduce the total unfairness in the world, only shift it to people who can better deal with the burden. That people should ignore the detail of the law and voluntarily subject themselves to an unfair burden is not clear-cut. The clear cut part of this is that the law should be clear, pass through the usual channels and be enforced with due process - ie, as written or as commonly interpreted by the courts.
If you want to call it tax evasion, someone is going to have to change the law so it is actual tax evasion. Until then, it is legal so it is avoidance.
All of those usual channels and law-making are easily influenced by wealth and power. By avoiding taxes they have committed a crime against the state and the people and should be punished.
At its heart, modern tax law separates people into classes and then allocating the burden of maintaining society unequally between those classes.
The spirit of the law that you are defending here is that people should shoulder unequal responsibilities to their society. Although that isn't controversial, it also doesn't automatically have a moral high ground; it could be a better outcome if everyone contributed equally. It just happens that everyone contributing equally flat-out won't work, because most people can't contribute enough.
The spirit of the law is unfair. That is an unfortunate reality of taxes - in a sense they can't reduce the total unfairness in the world, only shift it to people who can better deal with the burden. That people should ignore the detail of the law and voluntarily subject themselves to an unfair burden is not clear-cut. The clear cut part of this is that the law should be clear, pass through the usual channels and be enforced with due process - ie, as written or as commonly interpreted by the courts.
If you want to call it tax evasion, someone is going to have to change the law so it is actual tax evasion. Until then, it is legal so it is avoidance.