Roads, canals, taxes, and the cost of infrastructure

The abstract dispute over taxation becomes a practical question about infrastructure. Roads can be supported from a communal tax pool or by private tolls, but no builder or operator maintains them for free. Manufacturers and travelers benefit from networks they did not individually create, while employees and firms are expected to contribute through taxation. Earlier canals often relied on private investment and then charged substantial tolls for moving goods. Deferred maintenance quickly destroys the value of roads, showing how state capacity and commerce depend on continuing finance.