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Warren Buffett recognizes that if everybody of his wealth is paying a higher percentage, it generates a positive externality that he (and the rest) benefit from. If he simply goes out and donates all his money to the US government, it also generates an externality but he enjoys very little of it. Learn about game theory and cooperation. It'll explain the problem quite well.
The logic in your OP basically suggests that none of us should want to pay taxes. If I get away paying nothing and everybody else keeps paying, I get to enjoy living in the United States. But if everybody takes advantage of my logic this place quickly turns into Somalia. To ensure that a 'game' provides an optimal outcome, you do sometimes have to control players' options.
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