Why isn't involuntary taxation considered stealing?

[dan9c]

Hi,

I rejoined the faith a year ago after a childhood of nominal Catholic living, and several years of agnosticism and atheism in and after college. I have been on fire and am loving it. I thank Catholic Answers for much of what I have learned.

I read constantly and listen to Catholic Answers every day, but I have not read or heard a good explanation or answer to this question: why aren’t involuntary taxes (e.g., income tax, property tax) considered stealing?

By God’s grace, I earn an income at my job. My wife and I saved enough money to buy a house, and we have 28 years left on our mortgage. But the federal and local governments have laid claim to both my income and private property. If I do not do as they say, and pay those taxes, I will eventually be thrown in jail. If I resist, they will use force; they will use violence.

This is different than, say, an excise tax on gasoline. I can choose to not purchase gasoline, and therefore, I will not be taxed. If I choose not to work, I cannot provide for my family. Tariffs, too, seem to be an appropriate way for the government to earn income.

If we permit our system of involuntary taxation, then we put ourselves on a slippery slope. If we approve a 5% income tax because in theory there’s nothing wrong with income tax, why should we be opposed to a 90% income tax? In that line of thinking, there’s nothing inherently wrong with 90% of your income going to the government, especially because the government has good things to do with that money; there are many other people who can benefit from your income!

If I were a billionaire, I’d gladly give 90% of my income to charity. But it seems immoral to me that the government is permitted to forcibly take that money. I’m no billionaire, but I give to the Church and to other Catholic organizations (including Catholic Answers!). I believe that’s how it should be: voluntary.

Please tell me what I am missing here. I understand that the Church stays out of some issues that are not necessarily the Church’s area of responsibility. But government-run theft seems to me a big enough issue for the Church to weigh in on.

Thank you,
Dan

 

[Fr.Charles_Grondin]

Jesus did not consider it unjust to pay taxes to Caesar. (Mk 12:13-17; Mt 22:15-22; Lk 20:20-26)

Catechism of the Catholic Church:

2240 Submission to authority and co-responsibility for the common good make it morally obligatory to pay taxes, to exercise the right to vote, and to defend one’s country:

Pay to all of them their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due. [Rom 13:7]

[Christians] reside in their own nations, but as resident aliens. They participate in all things as citizens and endure all things as foreigners. . . . They obey the established laws and their way of life surpasses the laws. . . . So noble is the position to which God has assigned them that they are not allowed to desert it. [Epistle to Diognetus]

The Apostle exhorts us to offer prayers and thanksgiving for kings and all who exercise authority, “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way.” [1 Tim 2:2]

Pope Saint John XXII’s Mater et Magistra

1. In a system of taxation based on justice and equity it is fundamental that the burdens be proportioned to the capacity of the people contributing.

North Dakota Catholic Conference’s About Taxes

We often hear that taxes are just the government’s way of taking our money. Working with a starting principle of “no more taxes than needed” makes sense. It reflects a philosophy of good stewardship by policymakers. Too often, however, this principle is distorted into the belief: “it is my money.” Catholics should resist this temptation. The Church has taught for centuries that no one has an absolute ownership over anything, including his or her earnings. John Paul II reminded us in Evangelium Vitae, that this false sense of ownership is one of the roots of the culture of death.

USCCB’s Economic Justice For All

1. These duties call not only for individual charitable giving but also for a more systematic approach by businesses, labor unions, and the many other groups that shape economic life—as well as government. …For example, a system of taxation based on assessment according to ability to pay is a prime necessity for the fulfillment of these social obligations.

1. …Government may levy the taxes necessary to meet these responsibilities, and citizens have a moral obligation to pay those taxes.

What kinds of taxes and how much to tax are prudential questions that can be debated and discussed, but Catholic theology clearly states that governments do have the right to tax and we do have a moral duty to pay taxes.