Sweden’s new culture minister (president of the neo-liberal think tank Timbro) has not paid her "TV-licence" and many people now want her to resign. The TV-licence is money you pay to have the right to own a TV (!) and that goes to "public service". Johan Norberg gives the perfect explanation why all Swedes should refuse to pay this horrible tax.

It´s strange to see so many politicians who suddenly realise that they "forgot" to pay their TV license - including more than a third of all MP´s 124 of them. It´s tempting to conclude that at least some of them did it for ideological reasons. Ideological reasons that I share. But why? Why is this tax worse than other taxes?

The reason is this: In a democratic society with transparency and division of powers, you have private and voluntary organisations and institutions on the one hand, who have to rely on voluntary cooperation and payments - on the other hand you have the state and governmental organisations, with the right to enforce decisions and taxes. What you don´t have are privileged independent institutions with a legal sanction to use force and extract money from those who have never been asked if they want their services or not.

That´s a distant memory from the middle ages, with incorporated organisations, guilds and companies who got a specific royal sanction to use force. To a large extent, the liberal struggle in the 19th century was about fighting these guilds. Swedish public service television, with its legal sanction to take our money of we own a television, and its East German attempts to encourage neighbors, relatives and friends to be informers, is such an organisation. To collaborate with that system, for example by paying the license, is worse than not to. (Even though I do understand if people don´t want to follow their ethical believes when it´s against the law.)

So do I pay? The thought would never cross my mind. My wife does, but I am trying to hide the invoice every time they send us one.

johannorberg.net