>Why does everyone think that politicians are clueless numpties when they're deciding what to tax, but omniscient geniuses whenever they're deciding what to sub

>Why does everyone think that politicians are clueless numpties when they're deciding what to tax, but omniscient geniuses whenever they're deciding what to subsidise? I don't agree that everyone thinks that way. Most people like me are wary of both taxation and subsidies. IMHO there shouldn't be any subsidies on food for the same reason. We don't know enough about food to make smart decisions. So I'm all for a complete cut of subsidies. But not for taxation to control buying behavior.