http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8446994.stm
If you ever had a doubt that liberty leads to greater prosperity...well doubt no more!
According to a BBC news article people living in "Soroland" have created a zone with significantly less regulations and taxes on the Ivory Coast. Every libertarian should read this article. All of the quotes from business leaders sound as if they came from mises.org.
"Here no-one can say to you: 'No, that's pirated' or 'You can't sell that here,"
"If we were in the south of the country, you could complain that no customs tax has been paid for example, but when you're in the New Forces-zone everything can come in and be sold,"
"Things are a lot cheaper than in the south - we see that people from the south often come here to stock up, above all the military who come for all their electronics - mobile phones, DVDs, televisions, everything,"
Not to mention that some children in Soroland did better in school than their government counterparts. And they have a booming motorcycle taxis business which is illegal in the rest of the country. And the best thing...LOWER TAXES!
locknroll: And the best thing...NO TAXES!
BBC:The New Forces do collect taxes in some areas - like from cocoa and cotton producers but most areas of business are unregulated in the city.
Even if it were completely tax-free (which the article admits it is not, but that it is only tax-free for businesses, and consumers), it would only be an example of a political system working in a specific environment, which does not mean that it would work otherwise.
Furthermore, this is not even anarcho-capitalism because one does not see the production of defense here, but rather Bouake sits right in New Forces controlled territory hence allowing it to benefit from their security, which is paid for by taxing, as stated above, cocoa and cotton producers.
Abstract liberty, like other mere abstractions, is not to be found.
- Edmund Burke
Heheh I guess I should have read the article a little more closely Next time I will not get so excited. However it does show the benefits of less government as opposed to more which is good.