It's being downvoted because the idea that taxes == theft is both well trod and not directly relevant to the article. Clearly governments do bad things, my view

It's being downvoted because the idea that taxes == theft is both well trod and not directly relevant to the article. Clearly governments do bad things, my view is that this article describes one such thing and civil forfeiture is another, but you (assuming you're American) get to vote on those things. In the US the IRS is authorized to make arrests and cary guns as part of their duty to investigate crimes related to tax avoidance with some parts having a special focus on the illegal drug trade. It's weird that conservative circles are turning something that has happened since 1919 into some weird new menace. I do hope that Civil forfeiture in the United States is vastly reformed, but again not really related to the idea that taxes == theft