{"id":6313,"date":"2017-12-23T10:51:01","date_gmt":"2017-12-23T18:51:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/?p=6313"},"modified":"2017-12-23T10:54:11","modified_gmt":"2017-12-23T18:54:11","slug":"tax-relief-just-plain-taxing-go-figure-empires-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/2017\/12\/tax-relief-just-plain-taxing-go-figure-empires-run\/","title":{"rendered":"Tax Relief or Just Plain Taxing? Go Figure How Empires Run."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Meister_der_Kahriye-Cami-Kirche_in_Istanbul_005.jpg\"<\/a>
The Virgin\u00a0and\u00a0Saint Joseph\u00a0register for the census before Governor Quirinius. Byzantine mosaic at the\u00a0Chora Church,\u00a0Constantinople\u00a01315\u201320.<\/a>\u00a0The Yorck Project:\u00a010.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei.<\/i>\u00a0DVD-ROM, 2002.\u00a0ISBN 3936122202<\/a>. Distributed by\u00a0DIRECTMEDIA<\/a>\u00a0Publishing GmbH.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

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We hear a lot these days about tax relief. Talk of taxes is often a real downer, especially at Christmas time. And yet, the very first Christmas was embroiled in the subject of taxation. Caesar Augustus set out to take a census of the world over which he reigned, no doubt in large part to get a more accurate assessment for the purposes of imposing taxes. The Roman Empire and its census for taxation loomed large at Jesus\u2019 birth (Refer here<\/a> and here<\/a>), as reflected in the following account from Luke\u2019s Gospel:<\/p>\n

In those days\u00a0a decree went out from\u00a0Caesar Augustus that all the world should be\u00a0registered.\u00a0This was the first\u00a0registration when Quirinius\u00a0was governor of Syria.\u00a0And all went to be registered, each to his own town.\u00a0And Joseph also went up\u00a0from Galilee, from the town of\u00a0Nazareth, to Judea, to\u00a0the city of David, which is called\u00a0Bethlehem,\u00a0because he was of the house and lineage of David,\u00a0to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,\u00a0who was with child.\u00a0And\u00a0while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.\u00a0And she gave birth to her firstborn son and\u00a0wrapped him in swaddling cloths and\u00a0laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in\u00a0the inn (Luke 2:1-7; ESV).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Empires often flexed their muscles and strengthened their muscles by taxing their conquered subjects. While Rome sometimes poured resources into infrastructure throughout the empire, the taxes they gathered often went to enrich Rome and strengthen the Pax Romana<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The Jewish people felt the full weight of taxation. In addition to taxation bound up with Jewish law, Temple and order, the people in Israel had to \u201crender to Caesar the things that are Caesar\u2019s,\u201d to borrow a line from Jesus (Matthew 22:21; ESV).<\/p>\n

It is not always the case that taxes can weigh heavily on a people. So, too, can tax cuts. While there will always be partisan debates on raising and lowering taxes, it is always important to ask who or what will benefit from the final decision, as with votes in Congress. Billionaire businessman and former (Democrat turned Republican) Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg and others have weighed in on the recent vote in Congress that will dramatically lower corporate taxes (Refer here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, and here<\/a>). Bloomberg calls the corporate tax cut a \u201ctrillion-dollar blunder\u201d that puts partisan interests above smart governance. Here\u2019s Bloomberg<\/a>:<\/p>\n

CEOs aren\u2019t waiting on a tax cut to \u201cjump-start the economy\u201d \u2014 a favorite phrase of politicians who have never run a company \u2014 or to hand out raises. It\u2019s pure fantasy to think that the tax bill will lead to significantly higher wages and growth, as Republicans have promised. Had Congress actually listened to executives, or economists who study these issues carefully, it might have realized that.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Please note. Bloomberg is not against reducing corporate taxes. Days before the \u2018historic\u2019 vote, Bloomberg wrote in the same article<\/a>, \u201cTo be clear: I\u2019m in favor of reducing the 35 percent corporate tax rate as part of a revenue-neutral tax reform effort.\u201d But he reasons that a corporate tax cut is not a solitary matter or solution. Among other things, Bloomberg recommends expanding the earned income tax credit. He also differs from the Republican-controlled Congress on their decision to eliminate \u201cthe requirement that individuals buy health insurance,\u201d which will cause \u201chealth insurance premiums to rise for everyone else,\u201d as \u201cmany young and healthy people will drop out of the marketplace.\u201d So, what does the tax bill that was just passed achieve? Here\u2019s Bloomberg\u2019s assessment:<\/p>\n

In effect, the tax bill achieves four main things:<\/p>\n