Taxation ... a Gospel Priority
Jesus is reported as saying “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:21)
The context is the Pharisees trying to trap Jesus into down grading the secular powers of His day. But Jesus’ reported response raises the question as to whether He saw the world as two realms or one?
Biblical scholar Marcus Borg argues that Jesus’ talk about ‘Kingdom’ is primarily about a kingdom on earth, as for instance in the Lord’s Prayer words ascribed to Jesus: “Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10). For Borg, Kingdom is a “religious-political” or “theo-political” metaphor (1) and he doubles down on this by quoting John Dominic Crossan who says “for Jesus, it is never kingdom without God, and it is never God without kingdom”.(2)
Paying Tax a Social and Moral Responsibility
My father, an accountant, considered paying taxes a social responsibility and instilled that belief in me. But are we paying a fair share as a Gospel priority?
Unfortunately, there has developed a wider community belief that paying taxes is an imposition to avoid or reduce at all costs. As a consequence we have in NZ a very unfair and unbalanced taxation system.
The poor pay more tax than the well to do and our total tax take is less than it should be for a supposedly modern developed country.
The poor certainly pay more GST than the well to do, as those on lower incomes have to spend more proportionately on GST taxed essentials than those better off; 27 percent more than the rich.
Also NZ has no tax free minimum income. In Australia the first A$18,200 of income is tax free and in the UK the first 12,570 pounds earned is tax free. NZ also has a very limited Capital Gains Tax (on properties other than the family home sold within two years of purchase) and no wealth, windfall or inheritance taxes.
Our taxation system is unfairly weighted against those on low incomes compared to those with higher income, and the total tax take is insufficient to meet the current cost of essential social services including health, education and social welfare.
Jesus is reported as saying “ I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly”. (John 10:10b). For a large section of Jesus’ society, as for our’s, abundant life was not possible. As a consequence Jesus railed against the rich and powerful and lifted up the poor and down trodden. He was crucified because He took on the religious and political powers that suppressed the rights of the powerless.
Similarly in our day, the Gospel requires us to stand in solidarity with the poor and powerless and advocate for them where we can. This includes advocating for a fairer and better tax system here in NZ.
Taking Action for Change
I’m a member of EcuAction, a Canterbury faith based advocacy group. Throughout 2023-24 we ran a campaign to replace GST with three alternative levies. Our rationale (as mentioned above) was that GST is a regressive tax that penalises the poor more than the rich.
We ran this campaign in association with ‘Tax Justice Aotearoa’, a national coalition of agencies that organised a ‘Better Taxes for a Better Future’ campaign prior to the 2023 General Election.
That campaign continues for 2025-26 and i’m hopeful it will result in political parties formulating more progressice tax policies for the 2026 General Election.
For those of us with a Christian commitment, working for a fairer and better tax system is a Gospel imperative. In solidarity with Jesus we must ensure that ’giving to Caesar,’ locally or nationaly, is based on a fairer and better basis than at present. This in turn should result in a more equitable and healthy society and Kingdom of God for all.
(1) Borg, Marcus J, The Heart of Christianity (Harper, 2004), p 132
(2) Crossan, John Dominic, ibid