Taxes are immoral. They pay for evil things. They are the very definition of extortion. And even if they go toward something you like, perhaps you fancy your schools or fire stations, is the violence really necessary? Do we need to point guns at people to educate kids? Are we somehow unable to put out fires peacefully and cooperatively? No. Taxes are immoral, and good people try to avoid them.
And in using your vices against you, sin taxes are the worst. My income tax, I can’t do much about. They’ve got me. They’ll find me eventually if I don’t pay it. Likewise, sales tax is unavoidable to some extent. On some level, I need stuff and I need to buy it. The same goes for property taxes. Really, if I want to participate in society, I’m more or less trapped on all those things. But sin taxes, taxes on alcohol and cigarettes and the like, take advantage of your addictions. When you see a police checkpoint, know that the beer you bought earlier funded that. The same goes for prisons. They’re attacking us through our weakness in character. They’re using our flaws against us.
Right now, trying to get in shape, I haven’t been drinking. But I see nothing inherently wrong with the mere act. Some of the best experiences I’ve ever had happened when I was drunk. It’s a social lubricant. When done right, it makes gatherings merry. Dammit, sometimes drinking is just downright fun. Now, some abstain for a whole lot of good reasons, and I absolutely respect that. But I submit that it is entirely possible to nonviolently enjoy a drink while minimizing your tax footprint.
To that end, I dabble in home brewing. And it really is a fascinating hobby. Some people like it because it cuts costs. $100 worth of equipment will get you started, and ingredients let you make beer for about half the price of buying. There’s also the science, every batch bringing you back to High School Biology. I always liked the traditions and histories, learning about old monks and pouring over various recipes from different regions. There really is something for everyone.
And at this stage of the game, I’m mostly into meads. To me, while it can certainly be made complicated, mead has the advantage of simplicity. Unlike beer, where you have to boil your wort for a time and stir and fuss, mead requires nothing done on a stovetop. Just dump 15 pounds of honey into water to make 5 gallons, pitch your yeast, and just sit and wait. And you do have to wait. In about three years it’ll be just about right, bulk aged, racked, and then conditioned in a bottle for a while. It requires some patience. But when it’s done, it will be magic. Most important to me though, Maine State Law requires no sales tax on honey. Once finished, I can enjoy it with my conscience clear.
Once, at the height of my brewing, I even set out to make a completely nonviolent mead. I wanted it produced with no government involvement or coercion whatsoever. Forsaking the use of Federal Reserve Notes, I had planned on somehow bartering for the honey. My water comes from my own well, so I had that going for me. I even read up on recycling the yeast from one batch to the next. Through it all, the big hitch was going to be the roads. How would I avoid them? I don’t have my own bees, so I would have had to travel for the honey. Seemed a long trek, out of the way and through the woods. The project was eventually abandoned, but it’s still worth taking up one day. Maybe one day I’ll try it again.
But the point is to always be trying; separate yourself from the system. You’re not a slave. You’re not a serf. Understanding that you are an individual and not a drone, you owe society nothing. Evil men want to put you down. They will rob and they will steal. But even worse is to be cheated. That beer in the cooler and wine on the shelf really do look good. But they’re a trap. Don’t be fooled. Don’t be tricked. Don’t be destroyed by your vices.
An Anarchist's Cookbook 