The Department for Social Justice of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has published a document on taxation called 'Render Unto Caesar'. It offers perspectives on taxation from Catholic social thought and teaching.
As far as the Church is concerned, decisions on taxation and government spending need to be driven by human dignity and serving the common good. To address this, the Department for Social Justice of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has published a document on taxation called Render Unto Caesar.
Foreword by Bishop Richard Moth, Chair of the Department for Social Justice, Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.
Introduction to 'Render Unto Caesar' by Philip Booth, Director of Policy and Research, Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.
The tradition of Catholic social teaching and what a just and loving approach to taxation might look like.
As with many other questions in Catholic social thought and teaching, a logical starting point is the work of St Thomas Aquinas.
In this chapter we are concerned with the principles and applications of taxation within Scripture and not the development of a systematic theology.
A Catholic understanding of taxation requires a Catholic understanding of the role of the state.
All individuals, families, civil society organisations and corporations, as well as the state, are responsible for promoting the common good and solidarity.
The Second Vatican Council of the early 1960s, which renewed the working of the Catholic Church, calls upon people to work together for the 'common good'.
The calls on tax revenues to finance welfare would be diminished if people received a just wage as is called for in Catholic social teaching.
It is not the purpose of this essay to discuss how extensive state spending should be. There is a wide range of views that are compatible with the tradition of Catholic social teaching.
The framing question for this reflection is whether addressing the national debt from the response to Covid-19 will require cutbacks in expenditure or increased taxation or both
The Church, from her origins, was a movement of the poor and the powerless. The fact that her founder, Jesus Christ, was born in poor circumstances necessarily made concern for the poor one of its founding commitments.
The late Pope Francis, at various times, drew attention to the problems associated with a system that fosters inequality, drives individualism and hinders the common good.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that individuals and companies have a responsibility for the common good, and thus it is morally obligatory to pay taxes that are due.
