Musings

Taxes

Rev. Peter Faass | 4/17/2010

Today is April 15th, better known as the deadline day for our IRS tax returns, (that is, unless you have received an extension.) Taxes are a hot button topic in American culture – they always have been and as best as I can foresee, they always will be.

The Revolution for our freedom from Great Britain was ignited by the Boston Tea Party. Today the United States has the emergence of yet another Tea Party movement. As I re-call from my American history classes, the first Tea Party was about taxation without representation. The current Tea Party movement doesn't much support taxation at all, whether they have representative voice or not.

I pretty much do not mind paying taxes. I think that is true of most American citizens, despite the protests of a vocal minority. I do deplore wastefulness in government, and I often resent my tax dollars being used for things I do not believe in, like the war in Iraq. But I realize that on balance I am one of three hundred million people and despite my conviction that I have better insight into how the country should be run than anyone else, the reality is that I am probably not much better in determining that than the next person. Okay, maybe I am better in determining this than an ex-governor of a cold northern state, but not anyone else.

As long as I can see a progressive unfolding of my taxes being used for the greater good, than I am fine in paying them. In fact I would be willing to pay more if it meant that programs I am passionate about will be funded. I would cite the recent library levy here in Shaker- which I supported - as an example of that support for increased taxation.

Scripture has much to say about taxes and the common good of a citizenry. Sometimes the Bible comments directly, like in Jesus' response to the Pharisees about whether it was legal for Jews to pay taxes to Caesar or not. At other times the scripture is less direct - but equally as clear - about how God wants us to care for one another in a society with the resources that we have; which of course is the whole point of taxes.

In the lessons appointed for today's Daily Office, the Hebrew testament reading is from the Exodus story about the Hebrew's wandering in the desert. The people are complaining to Moses about the lack of food to eat. God hears their cries and provides them with both quails for meat and manna for bread. But God is very specific about how much manna each person could gather each day for their sustenance. Moses tells the people, "Gather as much of it as each of you needs . . . all providing for those in their own tents." God then enforces this equitable distribution of the food. "The Israelites did so, some gathering more, some less. But when they measured it . . . those who gathered much had nothing over, and those who gathered little had no shortage."

My faith tells me that this is how it should be with our resources as well; after all everything we have comes from God. From a Christian perspective this scripture from Exodus informs me that when it comes to basic human needs, like food, housing, education, and health care, that our taxation should ensure that those who gather much should have nothing over, and those who gather little should have no shortage.
It's the way God intends the world to be.

Peter +

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