Three Libertarian Ideas Christians Should Support

1.Repealing the income tax

Many Christians will defend taxation with the following passage from Mark 12:13-17:  “And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?”  But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.”

Often, this passage is used to show that Jesus was supporting taxation. But some Christians believe that Jesus was actually referencing Psalm 24:1:

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein”.

Those who take this view say Jesus was really saying that nothing belongs to Caesar because everything belongs to the Lord. Whether or not this is correct or incorrect, the case against taxation (or at least the income tax) from a Christian view can still be made. Both the Old and New Testaments speak about the importance of tithing, which is giving a portion (usually ten percent) of the first fruits of your labor to God. Through the withholding tax, a part of the income tax since the Second World War, Christians are unable to tithe from the first fruits of their labor. Repealing the income tax, as most libertarians are calling for, would allow Christians to tithe properly.

Another benefit of repealing the income tax is that everyone would have more money. This would allow Christians to donate more to charity (either through an organization like St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or through buying a homeless person a meal), which is another important virtue in Christianity. The Christian case for repealing the income tax is strong.