A Christian family living in Tasmania who argued taxes are “against God’s will” have been ordered to pay up.
In a ruling Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Tasmania said Christian missionaries Fanny Alida Beerepoot and Rembertus Cornelis Beerepoot must pay roughly $2.3 million in taxes, administrative costs, and other debts, according to ABC.
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The money, which in U.S. dollars would be about $1.6 million, will go to the Australian Taxation Office.
The pair, who in years past have had property seized because of their outstanding debts, defended themselves in the case. Beerepoot told the court, “We believe that the Constitution affirms the fact that the Commonwealth resides within the jurisdiction of the law of the Almighty God and the law of the Almighty God is the supreme law of this land.”
Judge Stephen Holt disagreed, contending that there is no passage in the Bible to support their claim. “I believe the submissions to be honestly and genuinely held beliefs rather than an attempt to avoid tax liabilities,” he said. “But in my view, the Bible effectively said that civil matters and the law of God operate in two different spheres.”
