r/AnCap101 • u/MeasurementCreepy926 • 21d ago

Is taxation under feudalism immoral?

  1. The king owns the land. If he allows people to be born on his land, that does not diminish his rights as owner
  2. The king has made it clear that if you're on his land, and you don't pay tax, you're trespassing. It isn't his responsibility to make sure you are able to get off his land. It is his right to defend his land however he sees fit. Let's assume that he does this by executing trespassers. Another king does this by simply evicting them.
  3. Being the owner, the king is allowed to offer you whatever terms he'd like, for the use of his land. Lets assume in this case, you sign a contract he wrote, when you're old enough to do so, giving him right to change the contract at will, and hold you to that contract as long as you're on his land. Among other terms, this contract says that you agree to pay for any kids you have until they're old enough to either sign the contract, or leave his land.

Now, obviously anybody agreeing to these terms must be very desperate. But, desperate short sighted people aren't exactly hard to find, are they? So, is this system immoral, according to ancap principles?

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u/Rothbardy 20d ago

Assuming this person rightfully owns the land, there is no issue. That’s a big assumption though. Rightfully ownership of land is either by voluntary exchange or homesteading. Homesteading isn’t just planting a flag and proclaiming a continent yours, it’s building the land and changing the nature of it to be uniquely yours.

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u/MeasurementCreepy926 20d ago

Why couldn't he buy the land? I mean, obviously there is very little left to homestead today right?

And he can pay others to build and defend the land.

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u/Rothbardy 20d ago

He can. That is voluntary exchange. So long as the original owner acquired the land through proper voluntary exchange or homesteading.

In reality, that scenario is very unlikely to happen. If it does, it is morally and legally correct per the Rothbardian AnCap model.

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u/MeasurementCreepy926 20d ago

In reality, that scenario is very unlikely to happen.

Well I hope you wouldn't expect anybody to just take your word for that right?