Taxes? “They are a sign of our solidarity with others”. Therefore it is “a moral duty” to pay them: so say the English bishops in a 40-page booklet dedicated precisely to that: the payment of taxes. The booklet, with the title “Taxes for the Common Good”, was written by the department of “Christian responsibility and citizenship” of the English Bishops’ Conference. It was presented in London on Monday 23 February. In his preface, Archbishop Peter Smith, who heads the aforesaid department, admits that the issue has always been at the centre of the political debate. So, “what can the Church add on the matter? “What is lacking in discussion on taxation replies Msgr. Smith is the consciousness of what taxes represent in terms of shared commitment as citizens in constructing a society at the service of the common good”. In this context, the document of the English Catholic Church poses some questions: “Can one accept to pay taxes to promote policies that are contrary to our conscience, such as services for the voluntary interruption of pregnancy or for the production of nuclear weapons? Do there exist immoral forms of taxation?”. The document also tries to discredit the myth according to which the public services supported by the contributions of citizens are “parasite sectors” of society and the notion that “the private citizen earns only to pay tax”. The bishops invite reflection on everything that taxation permits “for the well-being of society, in terms of health, education, social order…” and remind the government of its obligation to “defend the interests of the poor and the more disadvantaged”.
