Everyone knows that conservatives hate regulation of anything. They say regulations cut into corporate profits and cripple economic growth. Maybe they do, but that isn’t why they fight to deregulate everything. Regulations come about because someone or something was harmed in some form. Take fire codes, they evolve because bad things happen. For instance, codes requiring that emergency exits be unlocked during occupancy came about because of the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. Regulations concerning wall coverings and finishes came about after 400+ people were killed in the Coconut Grove fire. Clean water regulations came about after the Cuyahoga River caught fire. Regulations relating to real estate appraisers evolved after the S&L crisis and the recent predatory lending practices associated with the 2008 economic crash. Factory emissions regulation came about after the acid rain crisis. There is a pattern here because harm was caused. Besides preventing harm from occurring, regulations also hold violators accountable. Accountability can take the form of fines, jail time, loss of licenses or certification or all of the former. So, the reason conservatives want to deregulate everything is simple. They believe that the corporate world shouldn't be/isn’t held accountable except to shareholders, therefore anything that affects the shareholders’ bottom line is anathema and anything that increases the bottom line is fair game, even if it negatively impacts the public as a whole. Illnesses and deaths associated with unregulated pollution is viewed as the cost of doing business. But with no regulation, there is no cost as there is no being held accountable.
That includes taxes, and the opposition to taxes they say is because taxes inhibit corporate growth. What they really believe is that businesses shouldn’t have to pay their own way. OK fine, if business doesn’t want to pay taxes, then say Exxon or WalMart shouldn't be allowed to use the Air Traffic Control system when their executives zoom around in their groovy Gulfstreams and Falcon Jets. They shouldn’t be allowed FBI protection when they are hacked or a facility vandalized unless the FBI sends them a bill for investigative services. If they want to fly their jets around the country, the FAA should send them a bill for using ATC. The bottom line here is conservatives feel that businesses are entitled to force the public to pay their way and not be held accountable for their misdeeds or fraudulent activities.