Morality of Paying Taxes

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Socrates92 said:
Or does the principle of double effect kick in, and say that the harm of wholesale rejection of the government’s authority outweighs the remote benefit?
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I don’t think the principle of double effect applies here.
 
People that think we should pay all taxes ever: here in Brazil we have a law of donation that says we need to declare (submit a protocol) for every donation ever done between two peoples. That is said, if I give someone a pen, i need to submit a official protocol for the government, if a give you a bottle of water, another protocol. So, if I failed to this (like live my life submitting protocols or just never help anyone ever) i am in grave sin. These laws here in my country, they seems to be done to be ignored! It is just crazy, impossible, abusive, burocratic. This is Latin America, folks.
 
imo said:
People that think we should pay all taxes ever: here in Brazil we have a law of donation that says we need to declare (submit a protocol) for every donation ever done between two peoples. That is said, if I give someone a pen, i need to submit a official protocol for the government, if a give you a bottle of water, another protocol. So, if I failed to this (like live my life submitting protocols or just never help anyone ever) i am in grave sin. These laws here in my country, they seems to be done to be ignored! It is just crazy, impossible, abusive, burocratic. This is Latin America, folks.
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Yea, I am not familiar with Brazil’s currency and valuation but I am pretty certain that a bottle of water or a pen doesn’t exceed the value stated here.

Physical assets with a value of less than BRL 20,000 and donations in cash up to BRL 2,000 are exempt from ITCMD.
 
farronwolf said:
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imo:
People that think we should pay all taxes ever: here in Brazil we have a law of donation that says we need to declare (submit a protocol) for every donation ever done between two peoples. That is said, if I give someone a pen, i need to submit a official protocol for the government, if a give you a bottle of water, another protocol. So, if I failed to this (like live my life submitting protocols or just never help anyone ever) i am in grave sin. These laws here in my country, they seems to be done to be ignored! It is just crazy, impossible, abusive, burocratic. This is Latin America, folks.
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Yea, I am not familiar with Brazil’s currency and valuation but I am pretty certain that a bottle of water or a pen doesn’t exceed the value stated here.

Physical assets with a value of less than BRL 20,000 and donations in cash up to BRL 2,000 are exempt from ITCMD.
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They are exempt from the tax, but you are OBLIGED to declare. You need to submit a protocol and then you will be exempt. But, a person donates more than 2000 brl in a year to the same person (even if in various donations) it is obliged to rectified all other donations and forfeit the exemption.

So, to sum up, you wouldn’t pay the tax (that is ratter small) but you would theoretically be obliged to submit the form!!
 
Well since two recent threads you have started revolved around not reporting wages and not paying taxes, I think it is safe to assume you are looking for confirmation on what I personally feel is immoral behavior, and without all the real detail, most likely wrong according to Church teaching.

Your not knowing how you can report your earnings without getting your employer in trouble, to me says you don’t know a whole lot about your tax laws and reporting in your country. So I am not buying into the fact that de minimus gifts have to be reported in your country.

If you are truly concerned with these issues, and not just trolling, go see a tax professional in your area and find out. They will know and answer your questions according to your countries laws.

Now, if you want to take the time and link the relevant tax code, in english, I will be happy to read it and give you my opinion on the matter, but a tax professional in your country is your best bet.
 
Yea, you better get to a tax professional, because by my reading, there is no reporting until you have exceeded the amount of exemption.

After you exceed the amount of the exemption, then you report, and for each additional gift you would report.
 
It is not right, but a lot in life is not right. We sometimes just have to grin and bear it in the meantime until the system (possibly) changes, or we can help change the system by means of protest and prayer.
 
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Anyway. Imagine this between a married couple. You surpass the 2,000 BRL and then each new small donation must me reported. It is clearly abusive and made to not be followed. A tax professional here would probably say: “Are you crazy? No one pays that!”
 
imo said:
So, if I failed to this (like live my life submitting protocols or just never help anyone ever) i am in grave sin.
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Failure to follow a law (unless the law requires you to commit sin) is sin. The gravity of that sin is determined by the same ways gravity of any sin is determined, as the culpability for that sin hinges on the knowledge and free will.

Would you have a link to where this law is stated? I found an article about taxes on donations, it states the donee is responsible and there is a threshold:

Physical assets with a value of less than BRL 20,000 and donations in cash up to BRL 2,000 are exempt from ITCMD.

https://thebrazilbusiness.com/article/tax-on-gifts-and-donations

I would find it interesting to study a law that taxes my handing you a bottle of water.
 
Perhaps a language difference, but, the US Tax code sees a difference between “gifts” and “donations”.

Have you had time to call your Diocese and speak to someone about the morality of paying taxes in your country?
 
TheLittleLady said:
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imo:
So, if I failed to this (like live my life submitting protocols or just never help anyone ever) i am in grave sin.
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Failure to follow a law (unless the law requires you to commit sin) is sin. The gravity of that sin is determined by the same ways gravity of any sin is determined, as the culpability for that sin hinges on the knowledge and free will.

Would you have a link to where this law is stated? I found an article about taxes on donations, it states the donee is responsible and there is a threshold:

Physical assets with a value of less than BRL 20,000 and donations in cash up to BRL 2,000 are exempt from ITCMD.

Tax On Gifts And Donations - The Brazil Business

I would find it interesting to study a law that taxes my handing you a bottle of water.
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Yes, but even in this exceptions cases you need to declare. Declare, submit the form and there will be no taxes. But if it surpasses 2,000 brl between two persons in the same year you need to remake everything. Even donations between a husband and a wife can be taxed! It will never be, because nobody here seems to expect you to follow the law, but the law exists. It is aimed to large donations or real estate, but the law does not diferenciate it.

The law is here, you can translate it: Lei 13.136, de 25.11.04 - com redação passada
 
I do not speak nor read Portuguese, so, reading an article is not possible (Google Translate is clunky and not appropriate for legal matters.

All of the laws that I have found in English put the responsibility on the donee, the recipient of the donation, not on the donor.
imo said:
because nobody here seems to expect you to follow the law, but the law exists.
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The “everyone else is doing it” is not a valid reason to disobey the law. Lots of people cheat on their taxes in the US, people lie, they commit adultery, people steal, the fact that others do these things does not make them magically moral.

ETA Ran it through Google Translate, I am pretty sure that this does not mean what it translates to:

IV - the naked owner, in the extinction of the real right.

From what does translate, this seems to be talking about charitable donations, not gifts, and inheritances. Everything I can translate says that the donee is responsible, the person who receives the donation or inheritance, and sets the cash value, it says nothing that “I have to report if I give someone a bottle of water”

In the US, charities have to report donations, people have to report gifts over a certain amount of $$, there are estate taxes. It is not moral for us to shirk these things.
 
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Well, yeah, but the financial effect of having me out of work, the emotional effect of having me in jail, the social effect of having a jailbird for a father/husband…of course, poor people do get a lot of stuff for free…😉, often funded by the taxes I wasn’t paying to begin with.
 
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That’s true. I’ve heard that you don’t get to collect $200.
 
I decided to start paying my taxes correctly, after much discussion here in this forum.

However I have evaded then per years, thinking since my country is deeply corrupt and the taxes are imo unfair, it would be justified witholding the payment.

I have no legal fear with this past taxes. They will never be charged, it is quite obvious knowing the situation in my country. They are in the most part “donations” made by my parents when I was in college that by this crazy unfair tax code of my country, should have been taxed voluntarly.

It is impossible now to remeber all the money that my parents gave me through the years. I can remember some of the last years money, but not everything. Anyway, anything that I pay regarding past years would have fines.

My question, so, is the follow: may I just start paying everything fine since I didn’t know that what I was doing was a sin and follow my life or I must try to pay the past taxes and ruin my financial life by doing something that probably even the government here would understand why?
 
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