In last month’s article, we discussed the “Five Uses of Money” in our lives. As a quick recap, here is the acronym to remember: “Live, Give, Grow, and Owe.” These four categories encompass the way we use money, with the “Owe” category having two sub-sections: owing of debt and owing of taxes.
Since we are in the middle of the 2025 tax-filing season, let’s discuss the sub-section “owing of taxes.” Based on current IRS data, about 60.4% of U.S. households paid federal individual income tax in 2025, while the remaining 39.6% paid no individual income tax. Of those who pay no federal income tax, about 70% earn less than $75,000 and about 45% earn less than $40,000. The vast majority of people who pay no federal income tax have low earnings, are elderly, or have children at home — they are exempt because of features Congress added to the tax code to help these groups.
In WalletHub’s 2025 Tax Survey of 200 taxpayers, 66% of Americans who pay into the federal tax system believe their tax rate is too high, versus 31% who say it’s just right, and only 3% who think their rate is too low. The overarching picture is one of growing frustration: taxpayers increasingly feel their rates are too high, the system is unfair and overly complex, and the value they receive from government services does not match what they pay in, though the vast majority still believe in complying with the law.
As you read this, you have likely identified which group your attitude toward taxes most closely aligns with. Rather than viewing taxes through the lens of frustration, what if we viewed them through the lens of faith? Here are three Biblical perspectives to consider:
1st Chronicles 29 – “Riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler of everything.”
Philippians 4:17 – “Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account.”
All wealth originates with God. Taxes are simply a calculation based on a percentage of the blessings an individual has received — the greater the blessing, the greater the tax. Reframed this way, a higher tax bill is actually a marker of greater provision. Would you not want to be in the highest tax bracket if it meant you were at the highest income levels? The alternative to paying taxes is to be among the exempt groups: low-income households, the elderly, or families with children at home — groups Scripture calls us to care for, not envy.
Luke 12:48 – “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be asked.”
If you have been given more, God has entrusted you with greater authority and responsibility. Taxes, then, are one practical expression of that stewardship — they fund the roads, hospitals, schools, law enforcement, and first responders that serve our entire community. When we give with a cheerful heart, whether through taxes or personal generosity, humanity improves.
Luke 6:38 – “Give, and it will be given to you: a good measure – pressed down, shaken together, and running over.”
God owns it all — everything in the heavens and on earth. We are simply stewards of what He has entrusted to us. So the next time tax season brings frustration, consider it instead a receipt of blessing. Let’s be cheerful givers, so that God may entrust us with even more to fulfill His Kingdom purposes.
—Michael Wallin, Certified Financial Planner ™. For more information, please visit whcwealth.com or call 615-850-6710.
