Should Digital Nomads Pay More Taxes?

A few weeks ago, I got into a debate about taxes with a digital nomad on LinkedIn. He was hyping up Próspera, a "Special Economic Zone" in Honduras offering low-tax residency for remote workers. With its 5% personal income tax, he posed it as an alternative to "high-tax countries or rigid bureaucratic system."

"Tax efficiency," "Flexible legal structures," "Modern residency solutions."

Why do these phrases make me cringe? Is it that they parrot the language of the super-rich? The multinational tax evaders and money launderers?

I responded that I didn't think "Special Economic Zones" were the answer - that we shouldn't just "opt out" of state taxation by moving to privatized enclaves.

He responded that it was a matter of "personal choice" for "people who want to become financially independent faster": "Not sure if you are aware but in a lot of countries in Europe you pay 45% tax, and you get almost nothing for it."

But are taxes a "personal choice"? How do we balance personal sovereignty with popular sovereignty? And if not taxes, then what else?

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