Agree tax is a theft and a pox. Sure the government need to raise money, but what about rationalising what it spends money on? One role of government should be to reduce as far as possible the tax burden on its constituents.
Income tax and user pays are at opposite ends of the taxation spectrum yet Australia has both taxes in what is a stupidly complicated system. As for the government attitude that it is "missing out on revenue" through schemes that help workers reduce tax - since when has any government had an entitlement to use business language and ideas yet not be accountable in the same way businesses are?
Income tax was created so the english could finance the naval war with the french and defeat Napoleon and like all taxes it was created under the idea it would be temporary.
So in effect the governments of the world are like the welfare cases their individual social security systems manage: They have no other way to survive or no ideas to create a revenue stream without robbing the people.
As an aside, one of, if not the best, things I have done is become an Expat Aussie working overseas. You get all the benefits - trade on the ASX and have australian bank accounts, loan facilities etc but have no tax burden. No CGT is the big one.
so the only way to avoid tax is to move overseas for a few years, and find a country with cheap standard of living and friendly tax laws for expats.
