A government is a compulsory territorial monopolist of ultimate decision-making (jurisdiction) and, implied in this, a compulsory territorial monopolist of taxation. That is, a government is the ultimate arbiter, for the inhabitants of a given territory, regarding what is just and what is not, and it can determine unilaterally, i.e., without requiring the consent of those seeking justice or arbitration, the price that justice-seekers must pay to the government for providing this service.
Hans-Hermann Hoppe
anarcho-capitalism, anarchy, ancap, austrian-school-of-economics, coercion, freedom, laissez-faire, libertarian, liberty, statism, taxation, theft, voluntaryism