Family that refused to pay tax because it was 'against God's will' ordered to pay $2.3m

[rpannier]

A Christian family that refuses to pay rates and taxes because it is “against God’s will” has been ordered to pay $2.3m by the Tasmanian supreme court.

Fanny Alida Beerepoot and Rembertus Cornelis Beerepoot, who previous owned the Melita honey farm in northern Tasmania, have refused to pay income tax since 2011.

The pair, who represented themselves, told the court they didn’t need to pay a $930,000 bill because everything they owned belonged to God, and Australian tax law fell under the jurisdiction of the Bible, the ABC reported.

“We don’t own anything because we are his [God’s]”, Fanny Beerepoot told the court. Rembertus Beerepoot said “the law of the almighty God” was “the supreme law of this land”.

On Wednesday, associate justice Stephen Holt disagreed.

He told the pair that there was no passage in the Bible that said “thou shalt not pay tax”.

link
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jul/18/family-that-refused-to-pay-tax-because-it-was-against-gods-will-ordered-to-pay-23m

[rpannier]

1. The judge is nicer than I am.

“I believe the submissions to be honestly and genuinely held beliefs rather than an attempt to avoid tax liabilities,” he said. “But in my view, the Bible effectively said that civil matters and the law of God operate in two different spheres.”

**********
I think they're trying to get over or they're just crazy

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

2. Good.

Religious assholes are religious assholes, no matter what religion they claim.

And isn't there something in their "Bible" about rendering unto Caesar, meaning the secular authorities?

[DetlefK]

3. "We don't own anything?" - Whose names are on the deeds and contracts?

[Revanchist]

4. The Bible states the opposite of what this couple is claiming

Matthew 22:21 Jesus said "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's." Romans 13:1 "Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities.

[marble falls]

5. I guess they missed the part about "rendering unto G*d what is G*d's ...

and rendering unto Caesar what is Caesar's."

[rpannier]

12. Maybe they're using the punchline from an old joke to justify it

'I throw all the money in the air and what God wants he takes and everything else is mine.'

[marble falls]

13. We can see how thats working out for them, they forgot about Caesar.

[struggle4progress]

6. He asked, "Whose image is this? And whose inscription?" "Caesar's," they said

Mark 12

[WePurrsevere]

8. My first thoughts as well. Thanks for the...

Bible book and chapter time saver btw. I knew it was in the Gospels but blanked out on where and was going to look it up.

[DFW]

7. There was a great film about 20 years ago

It was called « Kingdom of Heaven. » and was about the Crusades. The « Christians » who occupied Jerusalem for a while committed every imaginable folly and cruelty, and justified it every time with the shout, « God wills it! »

As always, before and since the Crusades, the only ones who « willed » anything were the ones shouting loudest that they were carrying out God’s will, which always, coincidentally, happened to jive with their own.

[safeinOhio]

9. What did Jesus say?

King James Bible

"Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me."

No money for taxes if you sell everything you own and give it to the poor.

[rampartc]

10. "render unto caesar" you idiots

there is no Christian reason to not pay taxes.

[tanyev]

11. OK, then. You go find yourself an uninhabited island and let God set you up with

roads, water, sewer and electricity.