A former Alabama governor agrees the current tax system in Alabama is unfair and the issue is one everyone – Christians and non-Christians alike – should be concerned with.
“It seems to me that it’s an issue that goes far beyond the church, far beyond any denomination,” said Albert Brewer, a member of Mountain Brook Baptist Church, Birmingham, and law professor at Samford University. “It’s a cultural issue, it’s an ethical issue and certainly it involves a Christlike approach to a problem – just the basic unfairness of it.”
But he said the problem doesn’t end there, “Philosophically – from a political science standpoint, a government standpoint, a public policy standpoint – it’s not a good way to structure a government, it’s not a good way to e the cost of government on the governed,” Brewer said.
This unfairness has prompted two Alabama Baptist pastors to advocate changing the tax system.
James Evans, pastor of Crosscreek Baptist Church, Pelham, said he hopes other Baptists will join with him in seeking tax reform.
“I think it’s a justice issue. I think that it’s just inherently unfair to a segment of our population that just has not power,” Evans said. “They have no voice.”
Nick Foster, pastor of University Baptist Church, Montevallo, said Alabama is dependent on sales taxes that are unfair to the poor, while wealthier Alabamians pay the lowest property taxes in the nation.
“Sales taxes pound the poor every day,” Foster said.
“The Scriptures point us in the direction of being advocates for the poor, that’s everywhere – in the Old Testament and in the New Testament,” Evans said. “The way the tax structure is set up, the poor are victimized by it and have no recourse: they don’t have any way to change it.
“They don’t have any lobbying groups that will go and fight for them,” he said. “That would make it in my mind a Christian calling, a Christian responsibility to be their voice…to try to make a change.”
James R. Bruton, chairman of the Alabama Baptist State Convention’s committee on resolutions and pastor of Liberty Park Baptist Church, Birmingham, told The Alabama Baptist that no resolution has been introduced yet calling for Alabama Baptist to take a stand on tax reform.
But Evans said, “It is my prayer that we will seriously reconsider this issue during our 2000 convention.”
Adding fuel to Evans and Foster’s call for tax reform is a decision by the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church calling for tax reform (see story, this page).
“I think that puts a little pressure on us to address some credibility issues there,” Evans said. “They made the same kind of move that we were making – that we said no to the lottery, can we say yes to something? So I think there’s a little bit of pressure there.”
Bruton said resolutions can be introduced prior to the start of the convention and also the first morning. Foster said tax reform is an issue on which the denomination should take a stand.
Address it without fear
“I think the convention can address this issue without fear of being caught up in something that is too complex,” Foster said.
Brewer said inequities in Alabama’s tax structure are also present in Alabama’s income tax.
The former governor said a family with an income of $4,600 – $10,000 below the federal poverty level must still pay state income taxes, while most states start at the federal poverty level.
“We have a lot of people in Alabama who owe state income taxes and don’t owe federal income taxes,” Brewer said.
In Brewer’s mind, the momentum for change is being blocked by special interests and big businesses that benefit from tax exemptions, thus leaving the poor to make up the difference.
Evans said he came up with the idea to challenge Alabama’s tax system following last year’s defeat of statewide lottery gambling.
“One of the things that was out there about the lottery was, this is bad for the poor, this will victimize the poor,” Evans said.
“When the lottery was so heavily defeated and Baptist were such prominent leaders in that, it just seemed to us that the momentum existed…for us to say ‘yes’ to tax reform,” Evans said.
Evans does not believe the issue of separation of church and state prevents Baptists from addressing the issue.
“Our tax-exempt status does not keep us from addressing social issues that are consistent with our purpose,” he said.
“And if it is a justice issue, if this is something that’s impacting the poor, our addressing that doesn’t in any way violate our tax-exempt status,” Evans added.
But some believe Baptist should exercise caution in tackling the issue.
“I certainly think Christians should be concerned about inequities,” said Samford University President Thomas Corts. “I have some reservation about the Alabama Baptist State Convention taking a position that should come before the Legislature.”
Corts said taking a position on too many legislative issues “could be very debilitating of our primary purpose, of our more basic purpose of pronouncing the gospel.
“I think if we said here are the 117 bills that are likely to come before the House and Senate this term. How would Baptists vote? I think that would be a terrible mistake.” Corts said.
Corts is head of a group seeking a new state constitution which would most likely address tax reform. Brewer is working with Corts.
Brewer said tax reform is an issue every Christian should question as to whether the current system is just.
“Certainly it’s a good issue and it’s one that affects a lot of people,” he said. “The issue of whether there is a responsibility is one that must be answered not even by congregations, but by individuals.”
Brewer said he would never criticize a church that declined to become involved in a secular issue.
“At the same time, we hope that Christians are civic-minded, that they’re concerned about the human condition in our society,” he said. “And I think if we are truly concerned, then we are disturbed by the unfairness of our tax system, the inadequacy of our education system, the lack of good jobs in our society – all of these things that affect the way of life.”
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