Well, it’s tax time again. Tens of millions of Americans are getting ready to file their tax returns before the April 15 deadline, while millions more are requesting extensions (but you still have to pay the taxes by April 15). People grumble about income taxes, but most accept it as the price we pay to maintain a government that offers the rule of law, defense and help for the needy. People take the same view of property taxes that support towns and cities in offering police protection, road maintenance and parks, among other services. We may complain about high rates and government waste, but we accept income and property taxes as part of the social contract. But, what about a tax on rain? As this article explains, New Jersey now has a “rain tax” based on the runoff from your property into streams and rivers that the state says it must maintain. New York has just imposed a “congestion tax” on drivers into midtown and lower Manhattan. Never mind that you already pay a gas tax, bridge and tunnel tolls and a personal property tax on your car. Now you have to pay extra to drive to a Broadway show. In Washington, House Democrats now want a stock tax on unrealized gains. So even if you don’t sell your shares, you still pay an annual tax on paper gains. There’s another name for that — a wealth tax. This list goes on. What’s clear is that no matter how many taxes the government collects, they have an insatiable appetite for more and more. Pretty soon, they will tax the air you breathe. Oh wait, there’s already a proposal to do that that too. Institutional investors can schedule a proof of concept with the world’s first predictive data analytics firm combining human and artificial intelligence with complexity science. Check out Jim Rickard’s company at Meraglim Holdings to learn more.