Robert Nozick and Murray Rothbard are among the few academic political theorists to have challenged the moral legitimacy of the state’s power to tax. Few critics have grappled with their arguments with the necessary rigor.

Edward C. Feser is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Pasadena City College.
Civil Liberties and Human RightsEconomistsEconomyGovernment and PoliticsLaw and LibertyPhilosophy and ReligionPolitical TheoryProperty Rights, Land Use, and ZoningRegulationSocialism, Communism, and CollectivismTaxes
Other Independent Review articles by Edward C. Feser
Fall 2001 Taxation, Forced Labor, and Theft: Reply