Three Extracts on Public Finance

Abstract

This is not the place to discuss★★ whether, when and how far the compulsory acquisition of goods by the State may be justified. It suffices here to state that it stems from the very nature of the State as a compulsory association, in the same way as do its demands for compulsory personal services. This justifies the State's compulsory acquisition of goods, and it occurs throughout history. Its principal forms are taxation and expropriation. The compulsory acquisition of goods by the State may be termed ``public''; by contrast, we speak of the State's ``commercial'' activities when it acquires revenue by its own production or by contractual services against specific returns. Public loans also belong to the latter category.