April 15 is tax day. That day, which will soon be upon us, is the legal deadline for the filing of federal income tax returns. For most, it is a day that simply comes and goes without much notice given to it, except the pressure that many feel to get their income tax in on time, often having to complete the forms the night before. We believe that tax day this year ought to cause us to stop and think.
The dutiful payment of the federal income tax has become the most primary interaction a citizen has with the government. That is to say, it is the most direct relationship most Americans have with their government. It is in the payment of taxes that the impact of government policies is most felt by the average citizen. Clearly, the paying of our taxes is the most basic way and, from the government’s point of view, the most important way, that we support the policies of the state.
In this issue, we examine the unquestioning payment of federal taxes. Our primary concern is the huge portion of our tax dollars used by the state to pay for war and preparations for war. For most Christians, the payment of war taxes has never even been a moral question. The payment or non-payment of taxes has seldom been raised as an issue that confronts us with agonizing moral choices.
Read the Full Article
