The taxation bargain

Taxation is a protection racket. You may wake up each morning with your back clammy from Gordon's sweat of the night before, but he will at least protect you from the attentions of all the lesser thugs out there. Well that is how it is supposed to be, a rational trade off for the less of two evils, but this only works so long as government keeps up it's end of the deal and does protect it's subjects from the multitude of criminals. It is increasingly it is failing to do so.

the rules for much more serious offenders are being bent left, right and centre, according to Fraser.

“When I joined the probation service in the 1960s, the policy was to target for probation people at the beginning of criminal careers. The purpose was to divert them from crime and it made sense,” he said. “In the 1970s all that changed. The new policy was to divert offenders from prison — to save money.”

Unless that is the government stands a chance of getting more money out if it's already overtaxed populace.

There was no such leeway for Bob Lloyd, boss of a small building company, who committed the heinous crime of parking outside his house. Though he parked legally — because a previous restriction had been lifted — he still received three fines.