Taxes, and then Death

    Let's talk about taxes for a second. A lot of people don't donate because the government forcefully takes some of their money each year for taxes. These taxes go on to fund things like military, the healthcare system, and a very small amount goes to foreign aid. Taxes are not a substitute for donating. In theory, the majority of taxes can benefit you as an individual. Taxes are a way to avoid the tragedy of the commons. You pay taxes to fund the military, so the military protects you from invaders. This works for the court systems, police department, and fire department as well. Taxes also act as mandatory insurance. Even if you are a millionaire and could afford your own healthcare, if all of your money gets stolen, you will have a safety net. If you live under an authoritarian regime that does nothing but bad things that hurt people with your money, figuring out how to safely pay less taxes would be a good thing. If 100% of your taxes went to the most effective ways to positively benefit humanity, paying more than your required share in taxes would be a good thing. Ultimately, no large country operates near either of these. 

    I would argue that the majority of the taxes you pay do nothing to positively affect humanity. Getting the government to do better things with the money they take is good, but given the massive problems with bureaucracy and the lack of good incentives/controls, I would shy far, far away from advocating that paying more in taxes is an effective substitute for effective donations. That is not to say that countries would benefit from a better tax structure, but rather that the current tax structures do not allow you to have a positive marginal benefit on society.

    Now let's talk about the second certainty in life, death. End of life care is extremely expensive. One study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine in 2020 found that the average cost for the last month of life in the US was around $18,500. That's quite a bit of money, more than the average salary of a typical human in 2020. Personally, if I hit an age where I am extremely ill and content with my previous life, I may choose to hit the "little red button." Not to say that this should be required, but it should be something we all think more about.