P. 231, VIII, D
<Stealing By
Government>
Is it possible for government to commit the sin of theft?
Some have argued that taxation beyond a minimal level amounts to theft. Rousas Rushdoony and Gary North,
for example, argue that government should never require more than 10% of its
citizens' income. To require more, they argue, is to require more than God demands
for Himself; and that is to claim a higher authority than God. I do not believe
that argument is sound. It is a little like arguing that since God reserves one
day in seven exclusively for himself, no employer may ever require employees to
work more than one day a week. The fact is that Scripture never establishes a maximum
amount of taxation.
It does enumerate, at least in general terms, the duties of
government. When government takes on additional responsibilities, it must pay
for them. But in that case, certainly government is guilty of various sins
including theft. What are those responsibilities? Certainly "bearing the
sword" to remove external and internal threats to life and liberty. But on
my view that the state is the government of our extended family in Adam, one
cannot simply restrict government to that function. Nor can we entirely exclude
a government role in welfare, though government
involvement in that sector is perilous (see earlier essays). So the question of
how much in taxes government legitimately needs does not have a precise answer.
I do agree, however, with another argument of North, that
when government inflates currency to pay for its policies it runs afoul of
biblical commands concerning fair weights and measures. God wants society to
have constant and dependable standards of economic value. When the value of the
dollar fluctuates at government whim, individual economic planning is crippled,
and savings are shriveled up. I also believe that anti-family taxation, such as
property taxes and inheritance taxes are wrong. God has ordained the family as
the major "welfare" organization of society. When government presumes
to supplant that role, it undermines something very precious to God and to his
people.