The idea that a centralized authority collecting taxes is necessary for a "secure device" is a flaming crock of shit. This nonsense is a convenient excuse Apple uses to abuse its position.
For an obvious alternative, compare the history of malware - - or even just programs with spyware sidecars - getting in Linux distributions to the same history of malware in the Apple app store.
centralized authority collecting taxes? I think you meant centralized authority of Trust. very similar to secure boot on PCs. you also seem to underestimate the sheer amount of trolly "malware"/ scripts out there for linux.
If they were just there for trust, then the 3rd most valuable company on Earth, valued at over a trillion dollars, with billions in cold hard cash, would have no need for the tithe. Make no mistake, Apple is rent-seeking, not establishing trust. How much do you actually think it costs to provide trust? 30%? That's obscene. Many organizations provide better levels of trust for free. Wake up, there's no need for you to subserve yourself to these malpractices.