>> Any analysis over 10 or more years that ignores the time value of money is a joke.
The tax is not set aside in investment funds, so there’s no growth.
Whether there is growth or not, there should be. (And isn't the "surplus" invested in a "lockbox" full of T-bonds?)
And another thing...it's the opportunity cost that counts, not what the gov't is doing with the money. If you fail to pay your taxes, the gov't will charge you penalties and INTEREST. You can't say that you don't want to pay the interest because you did not invest the money (and thus have growth) while you kept "their" money.