Final answer:
Barter clubs are not an efficient means to avoid taxes due to the complexity of modern international finance and the inherent limitations of the barter system in a globalized economy.
Step-by-step explanation:
Barter clubs may seem to offer a way to circumvent taxes, but they come with significant trade-offs and are not always effective in avoiding tax responsibilities. In a global economy, where financial flows are interconnected, national governments levy taxes while dealing with the challenge of managing and tracking myriad international transactions. Firms operating in jurisdictions with favorable tax laws, such as the Grand Caymans, illustrate the complexity of enforcing financial transaction taxes like the Tobin tax on a global scale, especially when trying to distinguish between capital transfers related to goods and services versus other financial exchanges.
Beyond the realm of international finance, the barter system itself inherently limits economic growth and cannot effectively support complex, modern economies. Practical issues arise, such as the difficulty in arranging future contracts for perishable goods, exemplified by the impracticality of a farmer hoping to trade strawberries for a tractor in the future. The system's insufficiency becomes evident given the complexities of modern economic activities, which involve intricate divisions of labor and myriad goods and services.