This is a useless argument. According to your definition, everything that exists in the world that received funding is "tax-payer funded". As a result calling

This is a useless argument. According to your definition, everything that exists in the world that received funding is "tax-payer funded". As a result calling any specific thing "tax-payer funded" is an empty attempt at a slur. There are two options, either use a scoped definition of tax-payer funded which means it doesn't apply here. Or an ultimately generic wildcard definition of tax-payer funded meaning it's no different than anything else in existence and debate about it is meaningless.