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On sharing information

I'm a firm believer in freedom of information. Especially if it is the kind of information that directly affects our lives and well-being, such as legal, tax, and medical. Regretfully, many professionals working in these fields do not share this view. They maintain that their knowledge acquired through painful learning is theirs only. They charge you for sharing the knowledge and consider any free dissemination of such information as a threat to their income (which is probably true).

On the contrary, I believe that everybody is entitled to free and easy access to all the general information. In case of tax information, we even provide the government with our tax dollars to finance creating and administering the tax laws. Haven't we already paid for our right to know them?

I'm not saying that tax experts should work for nothing. Just like any other skilled and knowledgeable professionals, we should be paid (and probably well paid) for our judgment, skills and experience in effectively applying our knowledge to a particular situation, not merely for having it. And if you think that we won't have enough to do, don't you worry. People still use auto mechanics and doctors, despite the fact that information on how to change oil or treat a headache is easily available.

Many will argue that charging for essential information is the very foundation of how lawyers and other professionals conduct their business. I agree, but in my opinion, it's a shame for our society, and tax professionals should not follow the bad example. Greed should not distort our perspective on life.