What do you think about the tax deductibility of charitable donations then? To me, it seems to be the worst of both worlds. You are still using tax money to fund some activity, but instead of having public control with checks and balances, you let rich people decide how the tax money is used.
It can be argued that tax deductions for donations make sense, if the government is already using money for similar purposes. You then get a greater effect from the tax money, at the expense of losing control over it. But if it's not the government's job to support the arts, then all donations to the arts should be made with after-tax money.
It can be argued that tax deductions for donations make sense, if the government is already using money for similar purposes. You then get a greater effect from the tax money, at the expense of losing control over it. But if it's not the government's job to support the arts, then all donations to the arts should be made with after-tax money.