Why do we have to pay taxes?

A tax is a sum of money which is paid by the citizens of a country to its government. Some taxes are direct, such as those you pay when you own certain things like a house or a car: others are added on to things you buy like electrical goods, and petrol, or services such as repairs, building work, and restaurant meals. The government then claims the money back from the shops and service operators.
Taxes are the main income of the government and it uses this money to pay for public services such as roads, health, schools, police and national defense. In democratic countries, people usually pay more or less tax according to how much they earn.