The mere mention of the name sends shudders down the spines of veteran Tory Peers.

But what was so bad about the Poll Tax? It seems like a perfectly reasonable proposition.

You pay according to your use of the council services.

It was rejected in favour of a free lunch.

Except there is no free lunch.

Somebody pays

This is just the tip of the iceberg of course.

The entire tax system needs a revamp to encourage people to be productive rather than welfarists.

Controversial, I know, but why do the press pander to the most wretched in society. It’s time we encouraged people to take responsibility for their lives, to be productive, positive contributors to the societies they live in. If this means lowering taxes and cutting the size of the state to suit, this is what we need to do.

I suspect the only way we will see taxes come down and the state shrink is due to three scenarios, two of which are painful, and one of which is relatively painless.

1. The U.K. goes to war.

War creates the kind of emergency backdrop where large swathes of the status quo can be swept away almost overnight without complaint. See Covid for an example. A lateral thinking party could effect changes to tax structure and the size of government in an emergency situation.

2. Economic collapse

The UK is drowning under oppressive government largesse. Tax takes are over 50%. The state overreach is clear to see and innovation post Brexit, has not been capitalised upon. When, not if, this situation blows up, there will be pitchforks on the streets, and the politicians will need to cull the cost of the state (unproductive part of the economy) and give people back their money. Superfluous jobs will be axed. Diversity inclusion and equality officers will find themselves looking for new work. Any work relating to netzero will go directly into the dustbin, as it is effectively a waste of capital and resources. We will
focus on essential useful work, and dissolve industry which only survives due to the profligate spending of governments with a moneyprinter at hand.

3. Bitcoin becomes a way to opt out.

There is a peaceful revolution, one where value is not taxed. Government will of course try to KYC their way into your Bitcoin profits as they run their moneyprinter and the price of scarce commodities relative to newly printed money goes parabolic.

But exchanging Bitcoin peer to peer, or setting up ways to transact outside of the gaze of banks (agents of the government) will starve the beast of the tax revenue it requires not only to survive but to grow.

A grass roots movement of this type will be too considerable a force for governments to quash. They will yield or the pitchforks will come out.

Why not let people spend their own money on what they want to spend it on? Again, it seems perfectly reasonable.

What do you think about the Poll Tax? As a fundamental proposition, where individuals are prepared to stand up as capable adults and be counted in society?

Should poll tax payment be a prerequisite for voting? I.e. If you want to vote, you need to demonstrate that you are prepared to be counted as a member of society.

Come to think of it, when politics is a redistribution racket, why do people on benefits get to vote? Why do they get a say in how much of other peoples’ money they have diverted to them? This is essentially the lure of politics, is it not? Vote for me and I’ll give you a free lunch.

I’m not a huge fan of democracy to be honest. I think a system based upon leaving people alone to do their own thing, within the laws of the land, is preferable. I’m a libertarian at heart. Empower people, don’t keep them alive in their wretchedness…..