Website owner:  James Miller

The system keeps people on a treadmill

   The system keeps people on a treadmill and government tax has a 
   lot to do with it. 

   People pay out around 40% of their income in tax here in 
      America. 

   Taxwise the government gets you coming and going and from every 
      side: income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, indirect 
      taxes, etc. 

   If you pay $12,000/yr in rent this $12,000 is after-tax money.  You 
      have to earn $20,000 to net the $12,000.  If owning a car is 
      costing you $7000/yr this $7000 is after-tax money.  To net $7000 
      you have to earn $11,667.  The same reasoning applies to 
      expenditures for food, clothing, entertainment and everything 
      else. 


   Q. What strategies or alternative ways of earning a livelihood 
      could one devise to circumvent (legally) all this tax money 
      being paid out to the government? 

   A. Ideas:

       Reduce the amount of cash income you need.  How?
            - build your own house (doing as much of the work 
                 yourself as possible) 
            - forgo car ownership (or buy used cars and repair 
                 them yourself) 
            - have a garden.  Grow your own food.

       Live in someone else's house and trade labor for board and 
          room (thus avoiding property tax and income tax).  
          Example: Live with an elderly person and trade cooking, 
          housekeeping, care, etc. for room and board.  A couple 
          could do this, the wife taking care of the elderly 
          person and the husband working. 

       Take payment for work in the form of service or merchandise 
          when possible (instead of money that you have to pay tax 
          on). 

       Do house sitting, pet sitting, etc. as a way to get free 
          housing. 


   Dec 1983