The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Contributor: You Are What You Tax:

Take a break as you fill out your 1040 form, and play this game: suppose you could choose which government entities your tax dollars support - and in what proportion. Since it's a thought experiment, let's assume that local and state government functions are part of the list. What percentages will you assign to which departments, agencies and programs?
Some people will split their taxes between the local police and national defense and leave it at that. Some will assign it all to the Environmental Protection Agency. Taxpayers from red states will choose differently from taxpayers from blue states. But polling data tells us enough about the government services people value to permit reasonably confident predictions about the national results.
Police, fire, water and sewage, courts and prisons and national defense will get far more money than they would ever have the nerve to request. The allocations for national parks, environmental protection, air-traffic control and highways will probably be many times their current budgets. But my first point (match my prediction against your own choices) is that almost all the choices will be for tangible services. Most of them will be for services that fall under the classic understanding of a 'public good' - something that individuals cannot easily provide on their own and that is shared by all (police protection, clean air).

Fun thought experiment! How would you answer the question?

In a similar question, if you specified what your tithe or giving to the church paid for, what would you want to fund? In denominations with a "head tax" I would bet that much of the church bureaucracy would be left unfunded. Is that really such a bad thing?

And the local church may find that people are willing to volunteer more than they are willing to pay professionals to do ministry. I imagine that most people would pay for those things that they receive the most benefit from. So what are those things in the church that people typically think they receive the most benefit from?