Susan Pace Hamill, a professor at the University of Alabama Law School (who also hold a seminary degree in divinity) has written a book entitled, “As Certain as Death” (Carolina Academic Press, 2007), that seeks to document how the individual states have tax policies that burden the poor and relieve the rich. This, she says, is in direct contradiction of the tenets of most faiths based on Judeo-Christian traditions.
Professor Hamill has identified several states as particularly egregious in their disparate treatment of the rich and poor. She has labeled Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, South Dakota, and Texas “the sinful six” because they require the poor to pay a much larger share of their income than the rich.
Consider Alabama, Hamill’s home state. According to Professor Hamill, the poorest 20% of Alabama families, those with incomes under $13,000, pay state and local taxes that take almost 11 cents out of each dollar. The richest 1%, those who make $229,000 or more, pay less than 4 cents out of each dollar they earn, according to Citizens for Tax Justice. Even worse, Alabama timber companies which control more than 2/3 of the land in the state of Alabama pay, on average, about 75 cents per acre in annual property tax (note to self: consider selling law practice and buying an Alabama timber company). Additionally, Alabama imposes a sales tax on food and medicine, a practice that most states eschew.
Critics like Bill Hobbs disagree. Hobbs notes that there is no direct word from God that explains what a fair system of taxation would be. There, is not, he notes, any such authority in the Bible that commands: “Thou shalt have a progressive income tax” or “Thou shalt not tax groceries.”
Only one state, Minnesota, was found to approach a system that touches on biblical principals of fairness and morality, according to Professor Hamill. Its tax system is not as regressive as other states and it spends heavily on programs like public education which benefit the poor. This, according to Professor Hamill – and I’m paraphrasing here – is most like the will of God.
I have to say, I am not quite sure how I feel about bringing God into a discussion that centers on taxation – for a whole host of reasons. While it’s true that the US legal system – and thus our tax system – is based upon Judeo-Christian principals – you cannot hold all of the supposed truths in the Bible up today as evidence of a fair society. Before you start firing off your emails to me, claiming that I’m a heathen, let me be clear: I happen to believe in God. And because of my background, I happen to think that I know a little bit about the Bible. But I also believe in history and context. And you cannot extract bits and pieces of the Bible at the expense of others. For example, I am not a proponent of the flat tax – but many of the tax systems in the Old Testament were based on a flat tax system. Is this God’s way of telling us that Steve Forbes was right? I don’t think so.
I don’t believe that religion has a place in tax policy. A faith-based tax system seeking to answer what is moral will never be viewed as “fair” to all. This is because what is moral is arguable – even among religious leaders. Even the most religious among us find our moral compass from a variety of sources and interprets it many different ways. The Quakers, for example, do not believe in violence. Do you think a Quaker-based system would have taxes that fund a military? Catholics believe that homosexuality is a sin. Do you think a Catholic-controlled tax policy would oppose funding AIDS research? My grandfather’s Independent Baptist religion thought that women had no place in school. Does that mean that an Independent Baptist inspired tax policy would not fund education for girls and women?
Even religions that come from the same basic traditions differ wildly in their interpretations of fairness and morality. Allowing any religion to impose its views on our tax system is a scary premise. Why not just be led by your own religious views – or moral center if you’re not religious – to work together to find what is just?
What do you think? Does God have a place in tax policy?
Absolutely not, nor does he/she/it belong in our government or lawmaking process in any way.
Taxes Too High? You Can’t Blame God.
You are correct. Greed & avarice are afflictions of humans.
A progressive income tax is one of the pillars of marxism, and by definition ledes to disparity, oppression & abrogates the notion of ‘equal under the law’.
The Christian Bible does not reference a true flat tax, but a ‘head’ tax akin to a flat fee for all. (ex: one shekel for bridge toll – not one percent for bridge toll).
The remnants of the now defunct soviet union in the form of the new russian republic have seen fit to implement a flat 10% tax – perhaps we should learn from their hard lessons and do away with one rate for poor (the most vulnerable), one rate for corporations (with all their lawyers), and another rate for wealthy (with all their shelters). Of course, this would probably put tax girl in another line of work, but so be it.
I submit that a true flat percentage tax would establish a fair and equitable way of funding government while taking into account everyone’s ability to pay. It would also, by its very nature, reduce the bloated, oppressive and inefficient IRS with its enormously sky high built in economic & legal burdens on citizens, business and the economy.
And despite your red herrings, God would approve.
Amen to Another Tax Geek! Religion is playing a much larger role in increasing hate and intolerance than the reverse.
You say, “And you cannot extract bits and pieces of the Bible at the expense of others.” Of course you can. People have been doing it for centuries to give their opinions credibility. It’s tradition, why stop now?
A true flat tax would never be equitable. Your ability to pay tax is not based on percentages – which is why most proponents of a flat tax-based system modify it somewhat. That’s what makes any tax system complicated – tweaks. Our tax code certainly didn’t start out the way that it started.
If we had a pure flat tax per reported income, there would be huge inequities. For example, let’s use a 10% flat tax per reported income. That would mean that a family of five earning about $10k per year on minimum wage would pay $1k, leaving only $9k per year to pay for expenses. In contrast, one person making $100k per year would pay $10k, leaving $90k per year to pay for expenses. I submit to you that the $1k hurts the family a lot more than the $10k hurts the individual.
So, let’s add exemptions. And maybe some deductions. And just like that: bloat.
And let’s remember that our tax system is progressive, not in terms of being forward thinking, but rather it increases as income increases – but in stages. Every single taxpayer (not including deductions, exemptions and other loopholes) pays the same rate on the first $7825 of income. Every single taxpayer pays the same rate on the next $24k of income. And so on.
I am not a fan of the current system. I just don’t believe that a flat tax solves the woes of the taxpayers. There are so many details that have to be considered: who pays? do we allow deductions and if so, on what items? what gets taxed? what do we exempt? We do not have a system of government with all of its special interest groups and voter considerations that would allow simple answers to these questions.
As for me? I don’t prepare returns – I work with planning and compliance. Even with a flat tax, there will be compliance issues, trust me. A flat tax wouldn’t put me out of a job. I don’t have any compelling financial interest to promote our current system (in fact, I think it stinks for me personally, remember? http://www.taxgirl.com/being-middle-class-in-america-sucks/). I just think most of the alternatives aren’t any better – yet.
The only place God comes into taxes is in our moral obligation to pay what we owe.
In Mark 12:13-17, Jesus makes it clear that it is a responsibility of Christians to pay their taxes appropriately (“pay back Cesar’s things to Cesar and God’s things to God” -NWT).
This point is further supported at Romans 13:1-7, which discusses the role of those in authority, and specifically 6-7 for taxes (“For that is why you are also paying taxes; for they are God’s public servants constantly serving this very purpose. Render all their dues, to him who [calls for] the tax, the tax; to him who [calls for] the tribute, the tribute; to him who [calls for] fear, such fear; to him who [calls for] honor, such honor”).
Of course one can and should take advantage of legal exemptions and write-offs, but from a Bible standpoint, it is the Christian’s responsibility to pay what is legally owed, no more and no less.
Kristen
The Bible was not written to govern any nation but Israel, and them only to a certain point. Christ’s teachings were of the Kingdom of God (not of this world) and suporting justice and mercy, not local nationalistic and racist agendas. He clearly taught that we should obey the laws of the land and pay the tax that is called for. It will never be a “just” system as long as man continues to dominate man. Thats why he taught HIS followers to pray for a government that was to come and to trust in it to make the changes mankind has not achieved from the beginning of human rule. So, basically, it is not God who bears the blame, but man.
I think what the prof is pointing out in her book is that many people who loudly proclaim their Christianity blantantly ignore such Christian requirements as kindness to the poor. It’s only gotten worse with the current administration. For some reason, right-wing politics boils down “morality” and “Christianity” to a regulation of sex and yelling as loudly as they can that they pray and believe in God.
I am a Christian, but I don’t think we should make laws based on what’s “Biblical”, since that has been open to interpretation for hundreds of years, depending on what who does the interpreting wants.
We should be looking into ways to stop the corporate welfare in our tax system (corps get massive breaks — corporate welfare costs our country much more than welfare for people) and the loopholes that allow those rich enough to have good attorneys to weasel out of their share. States should abolish taxes on groceries and raise revenue through higher sales taxes, especially on consumer goods and luxury items. I don’t mind paying more. I’ve been blessed quite a bit, and I have no problem paying taxes commensurate with my blessings.
Fair enough. You present a moderate postition. I simply disagree with a few of your anchor points:
A true flat percentage tax would be equitable entirely because it is based on percentage. No tweaks necessary.
And family of five on 10k per yr?????! Ten percent for them is just as equitable as ten percent for Forbes. The fact that they planned poorly or made stupid life decisions is not the concern of government. Applying the law equally to all citizens is a government concern.
No exemptions and no exceptions equals no bloat.
I will accept that compliance will always be an issue. Some people enjoy deceit & larceny at the expense of others, and this current system allows way too many to scam from both ends of the spectrum.
A true flat percentage tax is less invasive, more efficient, and helps uphold the vital concept important to any open & democratic society of ‘equal under the law’.
But when all is said and done, we both can agree that something needs to be done, and the bone heads in DC won’t do it unless we the people give ’em a swift kick in the pants!
Good stuff. Thank you.
Thanks for the comments.
I do, however, have to chime in about your “planned poorly” or “made stupid life decisions” bit. I happen to think that I made good decisions and I live within my means. But in law school, I learned a lot about fairness and how making good decisions doesn’t always equal things working out like you hoped.
Someone with the last name “Hilton” or similar already has a leg up in life. People in my law school that showed up in BMWs had not necessarily made good decisions, they were born lucky. And the converse is just as true.
And lastly, as a mom, I will also say that no matter what stupid choices a parent makes, a child should never be penalized. Health care, shelter and food aren’t luxury items, they are necessities.
Unfortunately, Kelly, children ARE penalized for the stupid choices their parents make (tune into Maury to see who the daddy of your baby is!!). As a society, the USA has also missed the purpose of the mentioned “necessities” and spend more time and energy on the “luxury items than they do raising their children. Necessities now include IPod, MAC, Lexus, and humongous houses that are purchased as “investments” versus “homes”. It’s a viscious circle….. Strange, isn’t it, that in the most “enlightened” age of history we’re faced with yet another failing governmental system – the same as every other nation/empire throughout history faced.
Kelly, great discussion!!!
MikCtr, you got to the heart of it in one of your earlier comments when you said, “It will never be a ‘just’ system as long as man continues to dominate man.”
Ecclesiastes 8:9 says, “Man has dominated man to his injury.” And Jeremiah 10:23 clearly states that it doesn’t belong to man to direct his own steps. Like you said, “Thats why [Jesus] taught HIS followers to pray for a government that was to come and to trust in it to make the changes mankind has not achieved from the beginning of human rule. So, basically, it is not God who bears the blame, but man.”
Human government will never achieve peace or equity. It’s just not possible, no matter how we try to delude ourselves. Humans are too imperfect, too shortsighted, and too temporary. (See Psalm 143:6.)
kk