I guess another way to look at this is just another tax that you have to pay. This tactic is underhanded though in that it favors those who don't pay the tax a

I guess another way to look at this is just another tax that you have to pay. This tactic is underhanded though in that it favors those who don't pay the tax and take risks without knowing the code (they have more money left if they win the gamble). EDIT: plus, a "buy this law" tax is regressive: those who do the least work subject to this tax will bear the highest tax/unit of work costs. E.g. a private person remodelling their house will pay the same 300$ as the huge construction company. It also creates a hurdle for new entrants, who don't have any existing connections from whom they could borrow the book. When it comes to financing the research on law, there are ways that have better properties than those above (like a tax on work done).