Regarding the charities thing, I think people have covered the main aspects but I've got a couple of others, some of which may admittedly sound a bit dated.
There's also... something in giving charity, in the gift or time or money,
ourselves (not cos we are forced to) that is good for the soul isn't there? I wonder what would happen if there was no tax, but everyone was required to give away 10% (or whatever) of their income to whatever charity(s) they wanted
(unwanted pets would be living the life of bloody riley in this country!
).
A big problem with this is the use of charity by the rich to ease their conscious, bloat their ego, promote causes of their choosing, increase their power and influence, network, etc. Why should they get to choose? Tax the money out of them instead!
We have heard much about Bill Gates charitable work, yet he still manages to remain the richest man in America if not the world, up $7 billion in the last year.
Then there is the consideration that charities may promote the status quo in various ways.
Religious aspects may also prove troublesome to some, especially when means testing is replaced by moral testing.
Not to mention that charity traditionally filled a void that has since been partially filled in by a sense of inalienable rights, and attempts to go back to the old way is a threat to those rights.
Personally I am most displeased by the way some charity fund raising has involved, including the trend towards direct debits and the use of modern marketing techniques.
And again speaking personally, for some things where state welfare may not be the best option, I am a much bigger fan of stuff like co-operatives than charities, for a number of reasons I wont drone on about right now. But its partly to do with hierarchies, which are one of the roots of evil in my book, I wave my willy at the great deciders.
