Pope Praises Taxation: Important Tool for ‘Wealth Redistribution’
'Taxation is a function of the common good'
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Pope Francis praised Italy’s internal revenue service Monday for the “work” they do in the “redistribution of wealth.”
The Pontiff said that modern tax collectors are often viewed with suspicion, like in they were in the times of Jesus.
The Pope argued that tax collectors provided an essential service to the common good by redistributing wealth.
“A certain culture of suspicion can, unfortunately, extend to those who enforce the laws,” Francis said.
“Yet this is a fundamental task because legality protects everyone and is a guarantee of equality.”
“Laws make it possible to maintain a principle of fairness where the logic of interests generates inequalities,” he added.
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“Legality in the fiscal area is a way to balance social relations, removing forces from corruption, injustice, and inequality," he said.
“But this requires some education and cultural change,” the Pope continued.
“As is often said, people often see the tax system as a ‘reaching its hands into their pockets.’”
The Pontiff declared that “taxation is a sign of legality and justice.”
“It must promote the redistribution of wealth, protecting the dignity of the poor and the least, who always risk being crushed by the powerful.”
“Taxation, when it is right, is a function of the common good,” he asserted.
“Let us work to increase the culture of the common good so that the universal destination of goods is taken seriously," the Pope said.
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“Your work appears thankless in the eyes of a society that puts private property at the center as an absolute and fails to subordinate it to the style of communion and sharing for the good of all,” Francis commiserated.
“Alongside the cases of tax evasion, payments under the table, and widespread illegality, you could recount the honesty of many people who do not shirk their duty and pay their dues, thus contributing to the common good,” he said.
“The scourge of evasion is answered by the simple rectitude of many taxpayers, and this is a model of social justice,” he added.
“The impartiality of your work affirms that no citizen is better than others based on their social level, but that everyone is recognized for their good faith in being loyal builders of society.”
“Taxation is often perceived negatively if it is not clear where and how public money is spent,” the Pope stated.
“There is a risk of fueling suspicions and discontent. Those who manage the assets of all have a serious responsibility not to get rich from it.”
The Pope said people would be more motivated to pay their taxes if tax revenues “help to overcome inequalities, invest to generate more jobs, guarantee good healthcare and education for all, and create infrastructure that facilitates social life and the economy.”
In 2020, Francis pushed for communist policies to be adopted on a global scale “for the good of all.”
He advocated the redistribution of wealth and an end to the public’s “natural right” to own private property.
“There were those who would have had us believe that freedom of the market was sufficient to keep everything secure,” Francis wrote.
“The right to private property can only be considered a secondary natural right, derived from the principle of the universal destination of created goods,” Francis said.
