Count me as one who doesn't see taxes as theft. Maybe assault, but not theft. Like it or not, I (we) allow the legislators to do it to us. We do have a voice to make changes, even if no legislator listens or acts. In the worse case scenario, we may use force to affect change.
sounds a might complicated. has anything like that ever been done? on any scale? even corporate?
Some charities, and I think political donations, do something similar. For instance, the NRA has several options of where donations may be spent.
It is complicated, but today's computer systems are very capable of keeping it all straight, and memory is dirt cheap.
How about this for an idea:
1. When filing federal income tax returns, the payer gets to choose up to 5 divisions to fund, such as Defense, Infrastructure, Healthcare, Social Programs, NASA, etc. Limit the options to macro-divisions, not individual programs.
2. Then the citizen gets to decide what percentage of his taxes goes to each division. To keep it a bit simpler, use only multiples of 10. i.e: 10%, 20%, etc.
3. The national budget is limited by percentage for each divison.
4. People who choose to fund the government this way, must pay a $50 fee to help defray the cost. Those who don't want to play, don't have to pay, and may continue to file tax returns in the current form.
5. Only individuals may use this format. Companies, corporations, LLCs, etc must file in the current manner.