INVOLUNTARY EXCHANGE: The process of being forced to unwillingly trade one item for another. The key term here is on "unwillingly." For all practical purposes, involuntary exchanges is essentially another term for government taxes, in which people are forced to give part of their income to government in "exchange" for government services. Involuntary taxes should be contrasted with the "voluntary" exchanges that are fundamental to market transactions.

     See also | government | taxes | government functions | regulation | public choice | market | voluntary exchange | mixed economy |