As the civilization expands and specializes, governmental
services multiply. The number of government workers grows in proportion
and often out of proportion to the total production costs. Expenses of
government rise and with them the corresponding need to increase taxes.
Overhead costs in the village or small town are low. Much of the "public
service" is done by citizens who volunteer their time and energy. In the
centers of civilization public service is a profession, often well paid
and usually quite permanent.
Expansion is a basic feature in the life of every civilization.
Expansion increases overhead costs. When American Indians made their
silent way through the forests or roamed the plains there was no
overhead. Each provided his own means of locomotion. With roads came
bridges. With roads and bridges came capital costs. As dirt roads gave
way to macadam and macadam to asphalt and concrete, as country roads,
winding over hill and through dale were replaced by graded superhighways
cut straight through or built over all obstacles, the cost per mile rose
fantastically. All of these added costs appeared somewhere in the tax
bills which citizens were required to pay.
In any enterprise overhead costs rise in direct proportion to the extent
and complexity of the social order. As they rise, they increase the
prices of the goods and services which citizens (or consumers) must pay
for their livelihood.
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