One Marylander’s position on taxes

In 1989 after a fifteen year pastorate inNew OrleansI was wrestling with a major personal decision. Two ministry positions had been offered to me and it was almost a certainty that I would accept one of them. I had always ‘thought’ that at a certain time in my ministry I would become what in those days was called an Associational Director of Missions. In many ways I even looked forward to such an experience and that is why the call fromParkersburg,West Virginiato serve that area of the state was of great interest to me. However, at almost the same time the offer to become a member of the staff at the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware became a reality and I was faced with making the very difficult decision of which of the two positions should I accept. It is now history that I accepted the position inMaryland; served the next seventeen years there; and have never doubted that I made the correct decision.

Now is not the time to write about the reasons for my decision but it is the time to disclose that in making that decision I sought advice from many persons, some of whom strongly recommended that I NOT move to Maryland!! Most of the reasons given had to do with one or more of the following facts: (1) In the mid-Atlantic area, which included Maryland,  I would find myself in a much more ‘liberal’ theological area than that in the deep South; (2) the ‘cost of living’ would be much, MUCH higher; and (3) I would find that Maryland is a state with some of the highest TAXES in the USA. Suffice it to say that I later found ALL such revelations to be completely true. None the less, Cleo and I moved here in July, 1989; never looked back; and have been extremely happy and blessed in our lives in this great state.

Today, however, I write about one of the factors of which I was ‘warned’ over two decades ago – namely, the matter of “taxes” in our chosen home state. Maryland, like so many of our states and our national government, finds itself with a huge budget deficit (in Maryland over a billion dollars) and it appears, will seek to reduce that fact by once again TAXING its residents!!  Our state’s history reveals that it is one of the bluest of blue states; that the heavy majority of its elected officials lean decidedly to the left, and as such believe in an ever expanding government. The corollary to such a position is that it can only be retained and paid for by newer taxes. (Case in point: the new transportation “tolls” that went into effect in October and will be raised again this year!) Thus the legislature presently meeting in our state capital has already given indication that it will raise the tax on gasoline (fifteen cents a gallon over an unspecified period of time); will raise the annual fee on the use of water; and will undoubtedly look for other possible “fees” (which is simply a political euphemism for TAXES) to help balance the budget. Also, our Governor is on record as saying that if he had his ‘druthers’ he would raise the state sales tax (which was raised only a few years ago in 2007). Persons like me who beg that our politicians “cut spending” before resorting to more taxes will be most likely either ignored if our voices are soft or shouted down if they are loud. And what we will see out ofAnnapolis will be a microcosm of the struggle taking place inWashington.

Surely I need not say that as both a citizen and a Christian, I believe in both the government’s authority and need to tax its people. Our governing documents give authority for taxation and the Lord said we are to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. My concern – and that of many persons today – is that government, whether state or national, has become “too big”; intrudes upon personal decisions “too much”; and resorts to paying its cost by levying more and more taxes. And today – when our economy is still attempting to recover from the “great recession” – is NOT the time for government to dip into our wallets and purses again! Such has to me the aura of ‘high-class robbery’!!

                                          Jimmy Jackson, January 16, 2012     

 

 

Advertisement