Representatives from the United Kingdom’s main Christian denominations and charities submitted a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer (treasury secretary) on 31 October, urging the government to tackle tax avoidance in order to “Close The Gap” between rich and poor.
“Tax evasion and avoidance is estimated by the Treasury to cost the U.K. at least 35 billion British pounds [US$56.4 billion] annually. This is nearly nine per cent of U.K. tax revenue. The efficient collection of this revenue would lessen the demand to cut social and welfare expenditure which is hurting the poorest in our communities so much,” the letter read.
Tax avoidance is one thing, but to see pursuing it as a means of “closing the gap between rich and poor” is something that I find very disturbing.
All taxes are a forced exaction. No one is obligated to pay more in taxes than they are legally required. Tax avoidance is not paying taxes that you are not obligated to pay. This is perfectly proper. Tax evasion is avoiding taxes that your are legally obligated to pay. This is a crime.
If some people think that people should pay more than they have to they are perfectly free to send in their own contributions. But they have no legal or moral right to ask or require other people to pay more than the law requires.