On being fee'd nearly to death
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Lately, I've become aware of fees.   Yes, I know fees have always existed, but lately I've been considering their role in our society.  What good is a fee?

Fees are a tax proxy that target a specific activity. The idea seems to be that politicians can raise money by levying fees, while claiming to have held the line on taxes.  They will argue that a fee is not a tax.

A fee targets specific activity.  Want a hunting or fishing license?  Need a professional certification?  A certified copy of a birth certificate?  Filing an application with the county? Updating the address on your drivers license? Then expect to pay some sort of fee.

I recently filed online for some trivial state sanctioned permission, and was charged a "convenience fee."   Convenient for whom?  ME??  Its never convenient to interact with the state.  I can only asusme I was charged a fee for the convenience that they themselves enjoy when not interacting with me.

I generally never question fees. I accept them as an upleasant and unchangeable part of life.  But today I am questioning the logic behind them, beyond what the political claim to have not raised your taxes while imposing fees.

Fees are arguably a punishment, and a deterent. Consider the logic behind imposing a "fine" on the unlicensed driver of an automobile.  The fine is supposed to deter the bad behavior of not having a license.

Now consider the fees imposed on the driver of a car to obtain a drivers license.  If getting a license was free of fees there would be even more licensed, eye-tested drivers on the road, which is arguably a good thing for society, with tangible benefits that may include fewer fatalities, less burden on public safety resources, and adjunct benefits, perhaps including making it easier for people in voter-ID states to vote. Hell, perhaps we should pay people to get a drivers license. Its probably also good for employment, gas taxes, car purchases (generating more sales tax and fees), and generally fue‌ling economic growth.

The current logic says, "pay the fee today, or risk paying a fine tomorrow."  Two negatives don't make a positive (wait... yes they do in math, but you get the general idea).

What if our interaction with our state and local governments was based less on punitive "fees for services," and more about the service part.  

No-fee services might raise our collective tax rate (which is artificially low anyway, subsidized by fees), but they could generate a substantial public benefit by engaging more people, reducing the burden on the poor, freeing the time we spend in line to hand over fees, simplifying interaction with the state, reducing state record keeping, reducing the staff required to collect fees, and reducing enforcement and punishment of those who have avoided paying a fee.

The older I get, the more aware I am of the complexity of our society.  It has evolved to become a real burden to do important things, whether its to obtain healthcare in America, pay taxes,vote,  or even visit a state park or get a fishing license.  This web of governmental complexity and hidden pitfalls, if simplified, could go a long way to improving the quality of life for everyone.

Lets start with getting rid of fees.