Taxes! Taxes! Taxes! Should we pay taxes or not, what are the real reasons for paying them? Can someone please explain it to me? Why do I have to pay these taxes? Why should people pay them? That is the cry of people these days. These are the questions that bombard the minds of people every day. All over the world, people are called upon to pay taxes, therefore, people need to know and understand the reasons for doing so. An educated populace is an understanding populace.
So, why do people pay taxes? Ecclesiastes 10 verse 19 gives us the answer. It states, “Money answereth all things.”
You see, without money, governments can do nothing. All governments need revenue. Taxes help build the nation. In other words, without taxes, it would be impossible for the government to run the country. Paying Taxes is a straightforward process of paying for the services that keep our society running. The tax system and tax rates help form the backbone of civil society.
Taxes are needed to foster economic growth and development and to achieve the common goal of becoming a prosperous and functional society. Hence, Governments need their residents to pay taxes.
Taxes, though not particularly popular, are key to fostering economic growth and development. It is through the taxes we pay that the government can perform civil operations such as paying for essential goods and services such as infrastructure, health care, funding social development, welfare programmes, and education. These are all the things we benefit from. The monies collected go back into providing them.
Paying taxes is not new. Taxes are a part of life and have been from the beginning of time. In Biblical times, people had to pay taxes and just as how many of us struggle with the burden of paying taxes, in those days, the people complained about paying taxes as well, but it was something they had to do. Even Jesus paid taxes. There was no getting around it.
When Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the Tax collectors asked Peter, “Does your master pay taxes? And Peter answered “Yes.” Therefore, even though we may disagree with the way in which the government collects the taxes, or how our monies are spent, our duty as Christians is spelled out in the Bible, so we are to pay our taxes and do it honestly.
You may be wondering, “What does the Bible say about taxes and what did Jesus teach on taxes to his disciples?” A careful study on the topic reveals that Scripture is quite clear on this issue. That subject was addressed on two separate occasions in Luke Chapter 20 and Matthew Chapter 22. Jesus was not asked about worshiping Caesar but paying taxes. The question the people asked Jesus was, “Should we pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Jesus answered their question in a way they had not considered, and it left them speechless. Jesus replied, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
As believers we have a responsibility to God as well as to our government. God expects it of us. We are to be concerned about our nation and help to meet the needs of the nation. Not only should we pay our taxes because the government tells us to, but because the Word of God tells us to. What we must do is to hold our government accountable.
Holding governments accountable encourages the effective administration of tax revenues and, more widely, good public fiscal management. Just as how the people had to pay their taxes to Caesar, we too must pay our taxes to those who collect them, and we must give respect and honor to those who are in authority.
Rome was an ungodly, corrupt, and wasteful nation, yet Jesus told the Jews to pay their taxes. At no time did Jesus encourage the people to disrespect Caesar and not to pay their taxes.
Jesus plainly told His critics and is telling us that we have a duty to fulfil towards our country and to Him and we should be guided by that. Taxes are the engine of a country; without money it cannot perform its functions and duties to its people.
If we think the taxes are unfair, or we do not like how they are being used, we have the right to voice our opinions to our lawmakers or by getting involved in the process, but we do not have the right to be disrespectful to them.
Romans 13: 1-2 instruct us, and I quote: “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”
Verses 6 to 7 further state, “This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” End of quote.
Do you now understand the reasons why we should pay our taxes? Paying taxes is the duty of citizens in every society and giving back to God what is His, indicates our allegiance to Him. Jesus therefore used the occasion of as the Pharisee’s question about paying taxes to Caesar to demonstrate a believer’s obligations to the State as well to God. So, unless we are asked to go against God, we must obey the rules of our governing authorities.
Remember: Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.
About the Author: Mrs. Marilyn Hodge owns and operates the Wellness Centre in the Farrington, Anguilla. The Centre offers Counselling Services by Appointment Only and has now published Positive Living Volume 3. Contact information: 476-3517 or email: marilynb@anguillanet.com. www.facebook.com/axawellnesscentre
