#taxtherich?

The Bible has plenty to say about our accumulation of and attitude toward money. And, we recognize that our financial resources and pursuit of them should never be prioritized above our love for God. 1st Timothy chapter 6 says:
9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

I've heard it said, I believe it was from Dr. Stanley, that God doesn't mind you having things, but He is against things having you. God blesses us with financial resources, certainly, but we have to continue to recognize that He is our source, He is our provider, and that He desires for us to hold on to our possessions loosely, not in selfishness, but in generosity. He has an intent for what He has provided, and we are called to be responsible in our stewardship.  

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We're told in Matthew 22 that the Pharisees, the religious leaders, were trying to set a trap for Jesus. We read in a passage from that chapter:
15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. 

16 And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.
17 Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"
18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?
19 Show Me the tax money." So they brought Him a denarius.
20 And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"
21 They said to Him, "Caesar's." And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

It seems that one of the more pretentious events that exists on the face of the earth is an event that took place recently - it's known by its nickname, the Met Gala, presented by New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.  The BBC says:

The Met Gala is the fashion industry's equivalent of the Oscars, and sees designers, models, and Hollywood stars gather together to compete for media coverage. The event raises money for the Costume Institute - the only one of the Met's curatorial departments that has to fund itself.

Page Six of the New York Post reports that, "Tables start at $200,000, and individual tickets are $35,000 — once you are invited, of course.  So, do the math, and reported millions are raised for this institute; a charitable deduction.

Now, the outfits were lavish, but in some cases, gauche, inappropriate, and provocative - sometimes all in one. Perhaps the one gaining the most attention was the one worn by member of Congress Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.  It was a white dress, with the slogan, "Tax the Rich" painted in bold, scribbled, red letters.  At The Stream, Al Perrotta writes:

How thrilled were her hosts at AOC urging the government to take away the very money that those rich could donate to the Met?

How thrilled were the wealthy Manhattan socialites at having some bartender from the Bronx crash their party wanting to steal their dough?

And how ticked were the other women that AOC would steal their thunder? You know Jennifer Lopez wanted to take a heel and plunk her a time or two.

By the way, where were the masks?

But, as the New York Post reports, the designer of this dress has had her own problems with taxes, as in, not paying them.  The Post states that the company owned by Aurora James, the Cultural Brokerage Agency has had 15 tax warrants since 2015, including three that are still open, totaling just under $15,000.  She also had six IRS leins of over $100,000.  Don't like the tax system? It seems this message is to not obey the law you don't like. If you're a celebrity and don't want to wear a mask, even though a mandate is in place?  Just ask those celebrities at the Met Gala or Emmy Awards that have been called out for not wearing masks.

By the way, the New York Post, in another article, pointed out these facts about taxing the producers in our society:

Despite perceptions, the highest-income strata of taxpayers are the only ones who pay a larger share of taxes than their share of income. In 2018, the top 1 per­cent of income earners made nearly 21 percent of all income but paid 40 percent of all federal income taxes. The top 10 percent earned 48 percent of the income and paid 71 percent of all federal income taxes.

This desire to place more tax burden on the producers of wealth in our society is just another case of class envy.  

We know the Bible has plenty to say about matters of wealth and taxation.  For one thing, we should first and foremost be rich toward the things of the Lord.  We should seek to make it our aim to glorify God and to grow in Him.  Now does the Lord give us the ability to accumulate wealth?  Certainly, and He wants us to use it for His intent, recognizing that ultimately it belongs to Him and that we are only stewards of what He has provided.

The Bible is also not opposed to taxation.  Jesus said to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar, and we are instructed to be in submission to governmental authorities. So, I think it's an established principle that we should be obedient citizens in an orderly society and pay our taxes.  But, I think we have latitude to try to influence our lawmakers to make sure that the tax system does not contribute to a burgeoning government that exceeds the size and scope that is prescribed in the Scriptures. Our authorities should not be going into debt and passing it on to future generations.  That is why it is unfathomable that our Congressional leaders regularly seek to raise the so-called "debt ceiling," enabling the government to accumulate more and more debt.  And personally, we should be dealing with the debt in our own lives and make sure that we are not spending more than we make.

Ultimately, our attitude toward finances should be governed by our love for Christ and our desire to please Him, not making money an idol and being generous with what God intends for us to use.