CANBERRA (Australia): A Christian family in Australia refused to pay income tax, arguing it went “against God’s will”.
The refusal of the family to pay tax invited a fine of $2m (£1.1m $1.4m), which the family was ordered to pay to Australia’s tax office.
Rembertus Cornelis Beerepoot and Fanny Alida Beerepoot, of Tasmania, had not paid income tax since 2011.
Their farm was seized and sold by their local council in 2017 after they failed to pay seven years-worth of rates.
Beerepoot told the court: “We don’t own anything because we are [God’s].”
The siblings represented themselves in the Supreme Court of Tasmania on Wednesday, after they failed to pay some $930,000 in income tax and other charges in 2017.
Beerepoot had argued that the law of God is the “supreme law of this land” and making people pay tax was weakening their dependency on God. This is an act which was leading to “curses… in the form of droughts and infertility’, they argued.
“Transferring our allegiance from God to the Commonwealth would mean rebelling against God and therefore breaking the first commandment,” he said.
In his judgement, Associate Justice Stephen Holt said that while he believed the Beerepoots’ beliefs to be genuinely held rather, he said there was no specific reference in the Bible to support their argument.
“In my view, the Bible effectively said that civil matters and the law of God operate in two different spheres.”
The siblings were ordered to pay similar sums – Ms Beerepoot A$1.17m and Mr Beereport A$1.16m – to cover “income tax, administrative penalties and general interest charges” and other costs, court documents show.
Dear TNT Reader,
At The News Tribe, our mission is to bring you free, independent, and unbiased news and content that keeps you informed and empowered. We are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism, as we understand that we are a platform for truth.
Apart from independent global news coverage, we also commit our unique focus on the Muslim world. In an age marked by the troubling rise of Islamophobia and widespread misrepresentation of Muslims in Western media, we strive to provide accurate and fair coverage.
But to continue doing so, we need your support. Even a small donation of 1$ can make a big difference. Your contribution will help us maintain the quality of our news and counteract the negative narratives that are so prevalent.
Please consider donating today to ensure we can keep delivering the news that matters. Together, we can make a positive impact on the world, and work towards a more inclusive, informed global society.
Donate Monthly Subscription Annual Subscription
