What about the roads?

A common argument for taxation is that because someone uses the services put forward by someone else's cause, that someone should pay for them. However, in this case, we are forced to use the services.

The roads and national defense argument is a common retort. Throw on to the pile other causes like forcing people to pay for the health care of others, and forcing people to pay welfare for others, and forcing people to pay for military offensive measures, and forcing people to pay for educating other people's kids, etc....and you should see where the dead end and cyclic cock-fighting takes you.

But addressing roads and military "defense" (not offense). I admit those are thornier issues. However, for roads, I can see why in the earlier part of the century, the short sighted approach was to make these Federal and State roads. While the option to privatize many roads would be nice, why not simply require people who want to drive on Federal or State roads pay for those services if you need/use them? You then get a voucher or ticket to ride as it were. Maybe even call it a "license". We already have DMVs in place to enable this. Want to drive on a road, pay for a license to drive on that road. I prefer the concept of tickets and vouchers. If you don't want to drive on those roads, don't pay for them. If you're caught driving on the road, you get fined or charged by the authorities (either private or government financed) policing the road. The important thing is, that you don't pay for the road outright through taxes.

As for those poor people who can't afford to pay for the road, well the taxes they don't have to pay for the road will be added income they can use to buy their license. And I'll make bet that many employers would include getting licensed for specific roads as part of a benefit.

Defense is another issue, will address that later.