A few weeks ago, I got into a debate about taxes with a digital nomad on LinkedIn. He was hyping up Próspera, a "Special Economic Zone" in Honduras offering low-tax residency for remote workers. With its 5% personal income tax, he posed it as an alternative to "high-tax countries or rigid bureaucratic system."
Why do these phrases make me cringe? Is it that they parrot the language of the super-rich? The multinational tax evaders and money launderers?
I responded that I didn't think "Special Economic Zones" were the answer - that we shouldn't just "opt out" of state taxation by moving to privatized enclaves.
He responded that it was a matter of "personal choice" for "people who want to become financially independent faster": "Not sure if you are aware but in a lot of countries in Europe you pay 45% tax, and you get almost nothing for it."
But are taxes a "personal choice"? How do we balance personal sovereignty with popular sovereignty? And if not taxes, then what else?
