People often go to great lengths to avoid paying taxes, but the recent case of a Christian family in Tasmania, Australia, takes this desire to a whole new level. According to the report, Christian missionaries, brother and sister, Fanny Alida Bireput and Rembertus Cornelis Bireput in 2017 did not pay about 930,000 Australian dollars (equivalent to 41,294,500 rubles) of income tax and other fees. They themselves said that they did not pay anything to the state, because it "goes against the will of God."
For all God's will
No matter how incredible it may sound, the family’s court statements show that they were extremely serious. Obviously, in the lives of these pious Christians, the Lord governs every aspect of their lives, including taxation.
Mr. Bireput himself told the court that they believe that the Constitution of the country confirms the fact that the state is under the jurisdiction of the law of the almighty God, which, in turn, acts as the supreme law of this country. In other words, God transcends Australia's legal system.
Ms. Bireput said that they "do not own anything, because they are in the hands of God."
Unexpected decision
Interestingly, the Bireputas did not always evade taxes. In their own words, representing themselves in court, they admitted that they regularly paid taxes until 2011. Then their spiritual connection with the Lord began to deepen. Moreover, the time when they came so close to God coincided with the period when they stopped paying the due payments to the government.
To justify this, they sent letters to the Queen of Great Britain and the Prime Minister of Australia, in which, based on their religious beliefs, they disputed the tax jurisdiction of the country and the validity of its tax laws, despite the fact that the family received two preliminary notifications from the lawyers about the taxes they should have paid.
Rembertus Bireput added that tax evasion is also a way to remove the tragic curse that continues to prevail over Australia and manifests itself through natural forces. He believes that when people went beyond the laws of God, Australia came under the influence of a curse, the results of which were manifested in the form of drought and crop failure. So they believe that tax evasion is in the interests of the country itself.
Despite such arguments, Deputy Judge Stephen Holt, who led the case, did not agree that tax evasion by the Bireput family was good.
Confrontation of legal and divine law
Not surprisingly, the judge found it rather unbelievable that someone would try to use God and Christianity as a way to neglect the law. He even taught the Birreput lesson in the word of God.
Judge Holt stated that if they cannot find a passage in the Holy Scriptures or Gospels that says: “You will not pay the tax,” then how can he find a starting point for resolving the case in their favor.
He, of course, admits the fact that the materials presented reflect honest and sincere beliefs, and are not an attempt to avoid tax liabilities. But in his opinion, the Bible actually states that civil matters and God's law relate to completely different areas.
Judgment
Individually, Mr. Bireput should pay 1.159 million Australian dollars (51,462,700 rubles), while Ms. Bireput should now pay 1,166 million dollars (51,773,500 rubles).The total amount that now needs to be paid significantly exceeds the original $ 930,000 due to accumulated income tax debt and other payments, such as administrative expenses and interest payments.
The family already had 2.44 hectares of property in Northern Tasmania, which the Meander Valley Council took after they refused to pay property fees of $ 3,000 (133,200 rudders) for seven years because the property "belonged to God."
Later, the council was able to sell property, including a family-owned honey farm, for $ 120,000 (5,328,300 rubles) to recover unpaid property fees. In general, it seems that making a family pay their taxes may have been God's plan from the very beginning.