The most important ways in which I think the internet will affect the big issue is that it will make it more difficult for the government to collect taxes.
Milton Friedman
[I have to think on this some more. Are there some opportunities I’m not taking advantage of? I want to believe Friedman but I don’t see the Internet as that big of obstacle to tax collection.–Joe]
“Barter” to how people don’t pay taxes. Much easier to setup via electronic means. And a virtual currency is not difficult to setup, only to start trusting.
Once the virtual currency is established well enough to be trusted I think it will be easy enough for the government to track down the users of said currency and “collect their due”.
Without a currency I don’t see the taxes being lost by the government being that significant.