Bartering will only work on a friend to friend basis and not for the government. you are correct in some of your own questions. governments could not exist, without taxes. just think of the many benefits that would be lost without taxes. i am for bartering and have used it many times in the past with success. if bartering were used on a large scale, the civil courts would be jammed with lawsuits with people not fullfiling their obligations to each other. we do not live in a trustworthy world, anymore.