Government is a necessary entity that is meant to keep society thriving. However, when its actions contravene its cause it becomes counterproductive to say the least. Although, the Bible does instruct us to be acquiescent to our government. “Let every person be subject to governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted from God” (Romans 13:1 ESV). The implication here is that “limited” government is essentially ideal as excessive intrusion by the Government has not only produced negative results, but often times its decisions result in overstepping biblical principles. Although, there may be many areas in which government has overstepped biblical principles, taxation is one of the
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Moreover, the Bible is adamant that what is owed should rightfully be paid. “This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor” (Romans 13:6-7 NIV). Furthermore, although It does not condone the over taxing nor the misappropriation of taxes, the Bible does not detour us from paying taxes. “The most frequent objection to paying taxes is that the money is being misused by the government or even used for evil purposes by the government. That, however, is not our concern. When Jesus said, “Give to Caesar” the Roman government was by no means a righteous government” (Ministries, …show more content…
A common debate across all society is the topic of income tax as well as the way in which these taxes are utilized. Many in today’s society are pushing for higher taxes on those whose income is within the higher income bracket. For many, this seems to be the answer to many of today’s economic issues. Furthermore, the government often proposes the idea that their spending of said taxes are intended to cure the economic ailments. “There is not a more persistent faith within the world today than that of government spending. Government spending is promoted as the remedy for all the economic ills” (Hazlitt, 1979). However, this is actually a fallacy as this is ultimately a short-term fix for a long-term problem as they typically affect the future actions and motivations of those more heavily burdened by the taxation. “Government spenders seemingly often forget that they are actually taking money from A in order to pay it to B. Inevitably these taxes affect the actions as well as the incentives of those from whom they are taken” (Hazlitt, 1979). Ultimately, government’s role is to intervene within limits and only to enhance the betterment of the people. When increasing taxes, whether in employment tax or sales tax, the increase must justify the means and ultimately benefit the people. However, when the reason to increase tax is not only misrepresented, but goes
Moreover, the Bible is adamant that what is owed should rightfully be paid. “This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor” (Romans 13:6-7 NIV). Furthermore, although It does not condone the over taxing nor the misappropriation of taxes, the Bible does not detour us from paying taxes. “The most frequent objection to paying taxes is that the money is being misused by the government or even used for evil purposes by the government. That, however, is not our concern. When Jesus said, “Give to Caesar” the Roman government was by no means a righteous government” (Ministries, …show more content…
A common debate across all society is the topic of income tax as well as the way in which these taxes are utilized. Many in today’s society are pushing for higher taxes on those whose income is within the higher income bracket. For many, this seems to be the answer to many of today’s economic issues. Furthermore, the government often proposes the idea that their spending of said taxes are intended to cure the economic ailments. “There is not a more persistent faith within the world today than that of government spending. Government spending is promoted as the remedy for all the economic ills” (Hazlitt, 1979). However, this is actually a fallacy as this is ultimately a short-term fix for a long-term problem as they typically affect the future actions and motivations of those more heavily burdened by the taxation. “Government spenders seemingly often forget that they are actually taking money from A in order to pay it to B. Inevitably these taxes affect the actions as well as the incentives of those from whom they are taken” (Hazlitt, 1979). Ultimately, government’s role is to intervene within limits and only to enhance the betterment of the people. When increasing taxes, whether in employment tax or sales tax, the increase must justify the means and ultimately benefit the people. However, when the reason to increase tax is not only misrepresented, but goes