Is tax avoidance a sin?

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brian_custer said:
pay the least TAX YOU CAN; LEGALLY
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I support that… I believe many, many folks do this.

Many, many folks also exploit the system and use laws as they are not intended and game the system… many, many folks simply lie to avoid taxes… both of these are wrong
 
I’d say tax avoidance is a holy obligation. Your government and mine spend taxpayer money doing horrible and immoral things. And that is ignoring the simple waste and incompetence. You should do what you can to starve Leviathan.

Just remember what a relative’s tax law professor siad was the number one rule, “don’t be greedy”. The specific issue doesn’t seem relevant to that, but remember that rule where applicable.
 
Read the tax code AND PAY WHAT YOU OWE!

[It’s about 75,000 pages!!! for goodness sake!]
 
MonteRCMS said:
Supreme Court:

Famous Judge Learned Hand Quote
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The quote from Judge Hand was perfect.
Pup7 said:
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.
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Also perfect.

If the government allows you to structure your affairs in one way in which you’ll pay less tax than if you structure them another way, you can assume it’s by design and that there’s some reason for it. For instance, if you invest in General Motors and you have to pay a tax on it, but if you invest in tax-exempt government bonds and don’t have to pay a tax on it, you may assume it’s becase the government wants to encourage investment in government bonds.
 
As Catholics we are to obey just laws.
Ok, tricky moral dilemma there. Our government participates in things that just about everyone will find objectionable, abortion being the outstanding one.

We have to work with just laws, so avoidance is not a sin. Evasion, yes.
I just pay my taxes within the law, and I sleep better at night, and don’t have to add this to my confessional litany.
 
godisgood77 said:
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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I’m pretty sure the Church has always taught that there are certain grounds for civil disobedience. The argument I’m making is that the current tax laws in most 1st world countries are legitimate candidates for such disobedience. I disagree that this is out of line with Jesus’s words, so that is the point you would have to prove if you wanted to refute me.
 
Taxes are imposed by positive law.

One is not required to pay more than the law demands.
 
Pay unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.

You are morally obliged to pay only what the state asks. If the state legally allows you to arrange your fiances so as to reduce your tax burden, then the amount amount you morally owe is reduced commensurately.

Remember, Christ even chastised the faithless steward in the parable, who failed to wisely invest his master resources. We have a moral duty to manage our resources in a wise manner.
 
If there’s a legal way to pay less tax then that is in line with Catholic morality.

The Church’s teaching on payment of tax is tied to the recognition of the State’s authority to make laws. If the laws allow you to legally avoid tax then that’s fine.
 
Cecilia_Dympna said:
Incidentally, I am both a Catholic and a socialist and to my mind tax avoidance is a sin.
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So, you are saying we are obligated to maximize our tax payments?

That is nonsense.

Like saying: “How much did you make? Send it in.”
 
Personally, I don’t think it necessarily would, but I’m not sure the Church teaches this. I don’t personally evade taxes, though I’d like to.
 
Cecilia_Dympna said:
The OP’s question is is this a sin; I think it is.

I don’t know how you can be Catholic and right wing.
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You think is is. But in fact it’s not.

Catholics are required to obey the just laws of the land. If tax laws allow one to reduce their tax burden legally, then that is acceptable.

The principles of socialism are a lot more morally dubious than legal tax avoidance.

I’m not right wing, just Catholic.
 
godisgood77 said:
I support that… I believe many, many folks do this.

Many, many folks also exploit the system and use laws as they are not intended and game the system… many, many folks simply lie to avoid taxes… both of these are wrong
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Lying is wrong, yes. But that’s a different question. Why do you think gaming the tax system is wrong? Is there a reason that I should accept the “intentions” of whoever wrote the tax law? How do I know these intentions?
 
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Cecilia_Dympna said:
I’m content to pay my taxes. I’m happy to be helping those less fortunate than me
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Me too, which is a great reason to pay as few taxes as you possibly can. Hard to help people financially when the government has your money…
 
MonteRCMS said:
So, you are saying we are obligated to maximize our tax payments?
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My accountant does my tax return. I am quite glad for that. And I never thought that I avoid tax. I would certainly do not want paying more if I can pay less.

Those tax refund, if any, could be used for useful purpose too.
 
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