Is tax avoidance a sin?

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Tax avoidance is not a sin. Easy question, easy answer. A more interesting question is “Is tax evasion a sin? And does that depend on circumstances?” I’d argue that in most developed countries, tax evasion is not a sin if there is a reasonable hope that you can get away with it… (Principle of double-effect. If evading tax is going to send you to jail, causing your kids to be without a breadwinner, that would be immoral)
 
godisgood77 said:
Exploiting loops holes in ways that they were not intended to be used to pay less than you fair share is suspect at best… no better than those who exploit the welfare system by not attempting to work when they are perfectly able.

Both are sinful In my opinion
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They are fundamentally different. In one you are keeping your own money. If the other, you are sponging off of others’ work…
 
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Lia said:
But if you live in a country where the government’s laws do not conflict with God’s laws then you should be a good citizen and pay your share. Jesus in the bible paid his taxes as well.
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What exactly does “your share” mean?
 
Do you mean conducting your affairs or your business in order to lower your tax burden? That is fine.

No, as long as you follow the law, there is no moral mandate to try to give as much money as possible to the work of governing. The government makes the rules, the people follow them.

I know there is debate about whether taxes are owed to an immoral government, but if there was ever an immoral government, Rome was it. Render unto Caesar. Doing that to the letter of the law is sufficient, however. The lawmakers are quite aware that they are writing a letter-of-the-law document when they write it. No one is under the impression that there is a “spirit of paying taxes” that good people are bound to follow, LOL.
godisgood77 said:
Exploiting loops holes in ways that they were not intended to be used to pay less than you fair share is suspect at best… no better than those who exploit the welfare system by not attempting to work when they are perfectly able.

Both are sinful In my opinion
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OK, there are methods that are euphemistically called “agressive” that are essentially lying your accountant is pretty sure you can get away with. That’s not OK. Most means of lowering one’s tax burden do not fall into that category. It is more like paying attention and never paying retail price. That is not immoral, either.
 
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Matthew 17;24 When they reached Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the temple tax?”[j] 25 He said, “Yes, he does.” And when he came home, Jesus spoke of it first, asking, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their children or from others?” 26 When Peter[k] said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the children are free. 27 However, so that we do not give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook; take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a coin;[l] take that and give it to them for you

Matthew 22;20 Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” 21 They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. 8 If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9 So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. 10 So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.

We have to pay the taxes of the land,no excuses,we cannot fool God.
 
You mean Rob Peter to pay Paul or robin-hood style, rob the rich and give to the poor, no its not right!

This reminds me of Judas in John 12:4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” 6 (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it[c] so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”
 
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I avoided a percentage of my tax bill this year by making a charitable donation. If God wants to count giving money to His Church instead of to the State (i.e. Caesar) using the rules/laws of the State which encourage such donations, then I guess we’re all screwed.
 
godisgood77 said:
Exploiting loops holes in ways that they were not intended to be used to pay less than you fair share is suspect at best… no better than those who exploit the welfare system by not attempting to work when they are perfectly able.

Both are sinful In my opinion
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Taking legal deductions and following the law as written aren’t legal loopholes.

They’re legal. They’re codified in US tax law, and they’re legal.

A loophole is an ambiguity that allows you to circumvent the system. Following coded law isn’t creating or using a loophole. You’re not “getting out” of paying anything. You’re using what’s legally available to you to lower your tax burden. And you don’t need to be a multimillionaire to do any of it.

But by all means, the Feds will be more than happy if you don’t know your own tax code, and equally legally allow them to keep more of your hard earned cash. In fact, they love that. You’re their sweetest dream.
 
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jjje1995 said:
Please do not answer this if you are a socialist (which you should not be anyway if you are a Catholic) as I know your answer will reflect your position. I want good, solid, Catholic answers.
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So you’re saying that Catholic socialists (like myself, in the UK) are people who wouldn’t try to minimise their tax bill? Anyway, personally I prefer maximising my charitable giving.
 
This is above my pay grade but as this involves governmental issue (Ceaser"s), your rough guideline is you shouldn’t commit what is illegal.

Moral issue is more difficult to determine as it can be subjective and besides, whose moral it will be that you should follow? Ceasar’s or God’s? It has to be the former, I think, and yet you are a man of God.

It is more straight forward if it is individual’s money.
 
Blessings
If it’s not illegal, it’s not a crime. But, as someone stated,”Is it moral!”
RENDER TO CAESAR THE THINGS THAT ARE CAESAR’s and to GOD, THE THINGS THAT ARE GOD’s.
Like tithing. God’s wants our best animals in OT. Or 10% off the gross of our paycheck. Plus, BE A CHEERFUL GIVER! I’m guilty here.
In Christ’s Love
Tweedlealice
 
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. To hoard wealth is a sin. As to whether the same can be said for giving money to a state that supports Planned Parenthood, Rome used taxes to oppress the Jews and to torture and kill Christians, yet that was not an excuse to not render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s. Tax evasion is a sin, tax avoidance is not only if the money will be spent well and not squandered or hoarded (donating to your Church or to charities that uphold Catholic values would be a good use).
 
Socrates92 said:
I’d argue that in most developed countries, tax evasion is not a sin if there is a reasonable hope that you can get away with it…
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Then you’d be out of step with both the law and Jesus words… and that my friend is clearly, no doubt about it… a sin
 
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