Resisting Under Torture

I've heard surprisingly little from the taxman since I stopped paying my taxes. Once it was clear to him that all my assets were out of reach, he stopped contacting me directly. Instead, a private debt collector sent me an obscure e-mail half a year ago, asking me to contact them, which I didn't. Two days ago I had a missed call from them. Needless to say, I haven't called them back.

I get the occasional standard letter from the taxman, reminding me of my taxes outstanding. I get the occasional call from the debt collector. That's it. I had half expected a couple of thugs at the door by now, hauling me back to Norway for me to serve a lengthy prison term, and I'm still thinking that this might happen. However, the more time passes without anything sinister happening, the more confident I'm getting that they will drop the whole thing and let it pass.

It's not like I owe them all that much money. They can easily let it pass. But if they do, and it becomes widely known that people can do what I have done, there may suddenly be an exodus of wealthy individuals opting to pull out of the system until something less predatory replaces it. What are they going to do then?

The big problem for the state is that people have become less accepting of physical abuses by it. Only a century ago, firing squads were used for deserters from the army. Men, so traumatized by war that they could hardly stand up were put up against a wall and shot. This was then communicated to their parents and families. Hundred years before this, public hangings were quite common, and hundred years before then, torture was part of such executions.

But the public has become increasingly opposed to this sort of entertainment. We shun brutality. Being a butcher used to be admirable. Today, you better not tell anyone that you work at the slaughter house, and if you do, don't tell them that your jobs is to put a bullet in the heads of little piglets.

Similarly, if you're a tax collector, don't tell anyone that your job is to send out threatening letters to strangers. Tell people that you are public servant.

There was a case in Norway a few years back. The tax collector wanted to make an example of our most famous contemporary painter, Odd Nerdrum. He had failed to declare a couple of painting he had hanging on his wall at home. These were paintings that he had painted himself and therefore very valuable. Since Norway has a wealth tax, Nerdrum should have paid an annual fee to the state for these painting. Failing to do so was a grave case of tax evasion.

They tossed the man in jail for 2 years, and they made sure he was prevented from anything remotely related to painting. A prison guard once found some paper and crayons hidden under the man's mattress. They were promptly confiscated. Nerdrum was severely reprimanded for his miss-conduct. This was of course modern day torture, and it was plain to see that the man was suffering.

Then, something interesting happened. Instead of public outrage against Odd Nerdrum for having had the gal to hang unreported paintings on his wall, and for smuggling crayons into his prison cell, people turned against the taxman and the prison guard. Tax collectors all over the country had to keep a low profile. What used to be a noble pubic office was suddenly a shameful profession associated with sadistic sociopaths.

What was intended to be a friendly reminder to Norwegian taxpayers that they better pay their taxes or face the consequences turned into a giant PR fiasco.

Wary of their sudden loss of social status, tax collectors no longer operate under their real name. They are no longer proud of their jobs. They are shunned and despised by a large part of the population.

This may in turn explain why I have not been hauled in to court. The size of my tax evasion is not big enough to warrant the cost. For all they know, I might be a man in real economic trouble. I may be shell shocked in my way. What will the judge gain by hauling me to Norway to have me locked up? He risks being seen as insensitive and even sadistic. What judge in Norway wants to be the next Odd Nerdrum executioner? The answer of course is no-one.

Adding to this that the state is in a position to print as much money as it needs, the tendency going forward is likely to be one of increasing inflation and less severe enforcement of the tax code.

As our culture continues to soften, direct taxation will become increasingly difficult to enforce. Unless something is registered and easily accessible by the state, it cannot be taxed. The poor and the middle class will become increasingly burdened by inflation and taxation while the rich will get a free pass.

My vision of myself, tortured by the taxman, refusing to tell him where the loot is, will for ever be a fantasy. No-one will come knocking on my door, hauling me off to a dark basement, kicking and miss-treating me until I give in and pay them their fair share of my stash.