60. Tax in Law and Custom

Tax in Law and Custom
Bob Komives
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We tax ourselves in law and custom,

rule and ceremony;
role and symphony.

As best we can,
we tend to our interaction.

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Each of our formal laws, each of our less formal customs channels our actions. Each is a tax upon us.

"Thou shalt be available for jury duty."
"Thou shalt put x% butterfat in our ice cream."
"We shall send our children to school."
"Men should wear ties to church."
"Our employees shall not work on the 4th of July."

Be it law or custom, each of these rules for participation in society taxes citizenry by inducing or demanding individuals to allocate their resources --that is, to play new roles or to keep old ones. The resources collected and distributed have, in effect, been collected by society's tax collectors and spent by its administrators --mostly common citizens, but society's collectors and administrators none the less.

In U.S. America on July 4th, Independence Day, we get broadly taxed by our law and custom. The nation accomplishes the role playing it desires. Most people go to the beach or to their back yards on the 4th of July rather than to work. Human and material resources get taxed from one activity --the typical work day-- to another --celebration. The nation presumes that the holiday role playing is more beneficial than costly, so it takes resources away from a day's production in widgets and allocates them to a day's worth of celebration.

:: Bob Komives, Fort Collins © 2006 :: Plum Local IV :: 60. Tax in Law and Custom ::
With attribution these words may be freely shared, but permission
is required if quoted in an item for sale or rent

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