Not all taxes are created equal. The US income tax, for example, requires essentially everyone to report essentially all transactions and allows the government virtually unlimited invasions of privacy to audit. Refusal to pay tax is a crime, not a civil matter, meaning in effect the government runs debtorsu2023 prisons which have long be outlawed for non-government entities. The complexity of the tax code requires enormous compliance effort, and allows unconscionable discrimination as cronies get advantages and politically disfavored groups get punished. Federal employees have no need to keep voters happy, they can be inaccessible, rude and corrupt. Most of the money goes to funding a vast standing military far beyond any legitimate defense needs, engaged in foreign adventures, and middle class entitlements.Compare that to a municipal property tax. The tax is effectively accepted when someone buys a property, you can avoid the tax by not owning property. No information or elaborate compliance is required from the taxpayer, no invasion of privacy. The county sends you a bill and you either pay it, or your property is seized and sold for taxes. No one goes to jail. There is a lot of cronyism with exemptions for favored groups and punitive rates for disfavored ones, but nothing like the complexity of the income tax. The money is mainly used for broadly popular purposesu2014public education, roads, local securityu2014and municipal public employees have to friendly to their taxpayers.A libertarian government would spend far less than current governments, and only on things nearly everyone supported. A combination of user fees and social pressure for voluntary contributions should be enough to fund these. Yes, there will be some free riders who refuse to pay, and make use of those public services that cannot be easily denied, and put up with the silent treatment from most people who volunteer their share. But thatu2019s a very small problem compared to the violence and unfairness of current taxes.Keep in mind that the US government either taxes or controls about half the economy. Once you strip away expenditures on things few people actually wantu2014corporate welfare, money sent to rich people, world policing, mass incarceration, interference with private activities of consenting adultsu2014it turns out that the government does less for basic public servicesu2014education, providing necessities to the poor, scientific research, public infrastructureu2014with its half than the private sector does with its half. So if the government went away, even without any taxes at all, there would be more money available for the important stuff. And this doesnu2019t even count public services like coaching Little League, cleaning up parks, tutoring and delivering meals to sick neighbors.People left on their own take pretty good care of themselves, and help those who need help. Some people do nothing for others, but thatu2019s okay. Most people contribute because it feels right, and because they want the respect of their neighbors. Itu2019s true things can be improved with some more formal organization, but it does not need anything like powers and goals assumed by modern governments.