Paying taxes and second precept

Buddhist ethical conduct including the Five Precepts (Pañcasikkhāpada), and Eightfold Ethical Conduct (Aṭṭhasīla).
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Gwi
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Location: Indonesia

Re: Paying taxes and second precept

Post by Gwi »

sentinel wrote: Mon Oct 14, 2019 3:46 pm Many people never pay taxes , is that violating the second precept ?
Its violating 4th precept.

However, high taxes are actually
difficult to pay (for many people).
In fact, a 30% income tax is the highest
(generally during a [temporary] economic downturn).

Taxes of 20 to 25 percent are already quite large.
Bahagia Tidak Harus Selalu Bersama

Dhammapadå 370
"Tinggalkanlah 5 (belantara) dan patahkan 5 (belenggu rendah),
Serta kembangkan 5 potensi (4 iddhipādā + 1 ussoḷhi).
Bhikkhu yang telah menaklukkan 5 kungkungan (belenggu tinggi),
Lebih layak disebut 'orang yang telah mengarungi air baih (saṃsārå)'."
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DooDoot
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Re: Paying taxes and second precept

Post by DooDoot »

Gwi wrote: Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:10 pm However, high taxes are actually
difficult to pay (for many people).
In fact, a 30% income tax is the highest
(generally during a [temporary] economic downturn).

Taxes of 20 to 25 percent are already quite large.
Tax is paid from income or profit therefore it should be set aside for payment.

In Australia, highest tax rate is 45% plus 2% or 4% for Medicare

Civilized society, with good roads, good ports, good education, good health care, good aged care, good welfare, etc, comes from tax.
There is always an official executioner. If you try to take his place, It is like trying to be a master carpenter and cutting wood. If you try to cut wood like a master carpenter, you will only hurt your hand.

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Gwi
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Location: Indonesia

Re: Paying taxes and second precept

Post by Gwi »

DooDoot wrote: Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:20 pm
Gwi wrote: Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:10 pm However, high taxes are actually
difficult to pay (for many people).
In fact, a 30% income tax is the highest
(generally during a [temporary] economic downturn).

Taxes of 20 to 25 percent are already quite large.
Tax is paid from income or profit therefore it should be set aside for payment.

In Australia, highest tax rate is 45% plus 2% or 4% for Medicare

Civilized society, with good roads, good ports, good education, good health care, good aged care, good welfare, etc, comes from tax.
Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi;
Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi;
Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
Bahagia Tidak Harus Selalu Bersama

Dhammapadå 370
"Tinggalkanlah 5 (belantara) dan patahkan 5 (belenggu rendah),
Serta kembangkan 5 potensi (4 iddhipādā + 1 ussoḷhi).
Bhikkhu yang telah menaklukkan 5 kungkungan (belenggu tinggi),
Lebih layak disebut 'orang yang telah mengarungi air baih (saṃsārå)'."
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zerotime
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Re: Paying taxes and second precept

Post by zerotime »

DooDoot wrote: Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:20 pm Civilized society, with good roads, good ports, good education, good health care, good aged care, good welfare, etc, comes from tax.
what you writes is right from always. Same with the taxation from the medieval lords to their servants, because they lived inside their domains enjoying protection and services.

The problem of a system exclusively rooted in codice, is when in many countries the workers classes are forced to pay even 80% of the salary to keep their houses. In medieval times it was 10% of the harvest. And only in war times the people was forced to pay even 50%.

As you writes, the justice of a taxation should be understood with another factors. And then is important linking justice of taxation with the general situation and the impact in the most of people. Inside DN.5 appears the unfair taxation like a symptom of a bad goverment:

‘Thereupon The Brahman who was chaplain said to the king: "the king's country, Sire, is harassed and harried. there are bandits abroad who pillage the villages and townships, and who make the roads unsafe. Were the king, so long as that is so, to levy a fresh tax, verily his majesty would be acting wrongly"

those ancient bandits causing poverty inside the kingdoms today are the international financial companies and speculators. Today the modern rulers obey that people like everybody knows. And then in our present system the wealth is concentrated in very few people who accumulate more wealth than whole countries. An image of a primitive system with bad governments.
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Jgood
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Re: Paying taxes and second precept

Post by Jgood »

There is no violation in any precept by not paying taxes. It is not stealing to not pay taxes, it is simply not giving the government money. One could argue that it is not generous. However, if you LIE about your tax liabilities, then yes, that is a breach. Omission is different from lying. For example, if one were to earn money in a way that the government didn't know about and the person simply didn't report it, that is just an omission.

Legality is not morality. Duty to government is moreso legal rather than moral.
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