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Accounting- Taxation and Jurisprudence
Taxation and Jurisprudence:
Ethics
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Taxation and Jurisprudence:
Ethics of Tax Evasion
This paper presents response to the statement, “It is moral and ethical for Christians to practice tax avoidance by taking advantage of available deductions and credits. Tax avoidance is defined as the legal structuring of one’s financial affairs so as to optimize the related tax liability” (Raabe et al, 2009). Accordingly, the paper argues that tax evasion is immoral, especially for Christians as it goes against the teachings in the Bible.
Tax evasion has become a common incidence in America, as well as, the rest of the world. Most individuals and organizations are facing the law owing to the practice of tax evasion, which has been held responsible for some of the economic problems that society is facing today. In relation to ethics and morality, researchers and academicians have worked to prove the existence of legal and illegal tax evasion practices (McGee, 2004). Accordingly, this has generated plenty of debate regarding the practice of tax evasion, as a conclusion cannot be drawn on whether it is moral or ethical to practice tax evasion. Those in support of tax evasion argue form the point of this practice being a form of tax planning. That tax evasion involves the organization and planning of one’s financials in such a way that individuals are able to save more by getting rid of the tax liability. By doing so, individuals have the ability to be happy, which is the basis of all moral and ethical actions. The unethical nature of tax evasion is drawn from the concept that going against the law is immoral (McGee, 2004). In addition to this, the overall financial system is reliant of taxation, and for that reason, tax evasion is unethical and immoral because it disrupts proper functioning of individuals in a society.
Religious teachings also support the notion that tax evasion is immoral and should not be practiced at all. For example, Mark 12:16-17 states, “and he asked them, “Whose face and name are these?”… “Caesar,” they answered. So Jesus said to them, “Well, then, Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar to and give to God what belongs to God” (New Living Translations). This verse is a clear illustration of the religious attitude towards payment of taxes. Paying taxes is one of Jesus’ commands to Christians. From a religious point of view, Individuals are expected to pay taxes at all times, and for that reason, those individuals that practice tax evasion can be said to be committing a sin through tax evasion. Paying taxes and living in accordance with the requirements of the law is part and parcel of daily living as illustrated in the bible and other religious books. For that reason, tax avoidance is immoral and unethical, as it goes against the requirements of both the law and religious teachings.
Tax evasion is considered as religiously immoral and unethical because it is a form of stealing, and it is a show of disobedience to God. Accordingly, tax evasion is an illustration of individuals breaking at least two of the ten commandments by God. In addition to the religious attitude towards tax evasion, accountants and economists support the immoral and unethical nature of tax evasion by explaining its social and economic implications, which are detrimental to society (Raabe et al., 2009). Tax evasion is immoral and unethical, and should, therefore, not be practiced at all times.
References
“Mark 12:16-17”. New Living Translations. Retrieved from:
http://nlt.scripturetext.com/mark/12.htm
McGee, R. (2004). The philosophy of taxation and public finance. New York: Springer.
Raabe, W. et al. (2009). South-western Federal Taxation 2010: Taxation of Business Entities,
With Taxcut Tax Preparation Software. United Kingdom: Cengage Learning.
The Village
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The Village
The Village film is set in Pennsylvania in the Covington village that is surrounded by a forest which the villagers believe is inhabited by creatures. The paper will focus on how the themes portrayed in the film describe a form of social reproduction.
To begin with, for years the creatures and the villagers have coexisted with watchtowers being placed to prevent the villagers from passing the borders, unfortunately, Lucius Hunt requests to be granted permission to enter the forest to retrieve medicine to save a friend; permission is denied. Unfortunately, despite the warning by the elders Lucius while on Patrol duty wanders and enters the forest leading to an attack by the creatures but he is not hurt. Later Lucius tells the elders of his marriage to marry Ivy a blind girl from the village but Noah who also had an eye for Ivy is distraught by the news and he attacks Lucius leading to him being locked up after his found with blood on his hands. The lack of medicine in the village results in Ivy requesting permission to go to the town which is beyond the forest so that he can save Lucius’s life. When Ivy embarks on her journey her father shows her costumes and informs her that the creatures do not exist and when she is attacked by Noah who has worn one of the costumes on his way he makes him fall in a pit where he dies. Later when he reaches the town a stranger helps her get the medicine and she returns back to the village (Ebert).
There are various themes un the film that depicts social reproduction which most scholars believe to be a process that ensures the social structure set in society continues over time (“Themes, Motifs & Symbols in The Village”). The first theme is isolation wherein the film we see Edwin Walker created the village after his father had been killed by the town people. They create the town to protect themselves from this happening on the outside side world, this can also be termed as the people fascination with mortality hence the village. Social reproduction is depicted in this film where we see Edward and the elders’ charade about the structures in the forest, there were not real but they used the stories to prevent the villagers from the curiosity and to protect them from the rest of the world.
Fear is another theme that has been explained in the film where we see the whole village is in fear of the creatures in the forest and they tend to adhere to the restrictions set by the society that requires nobody to go to the village. The fear instilled by the elders describe social reproduction since it ensures that no one can go to the forest without seeking permission, we see Lucius asking for permission twice. Also, when Ivy reaches the town we see her fear does not allow her to go to the town to buy the medicine but a stranger from the town, the social reproduction of what had happened to his grandfather plays a role in instilling that fear and in the continuity of it even after she is back at the village.
Moreover, the is the theme of Innocence whereby creating the town the elders have ensures that the villagers co-exist in not only peace but also that they neither experience or have knowledge of the real-world issues. This is meant to retain their innocence and emphasis the restrictions of going to the forest and the town since they are bound to lose the innocence, the social reproduction is that just the elders have ensured the villagers live in a fantasy world than the reality. This while ensuring that their innocence is maintained also prevents the villagers from their perception of the world being tainted by the outside world which explains the people ensuring that no one going to the reserve and that no airplane flies above the reserve.
Lastly, religion is a theme that is evident in the film. First, we see Edwin leading with a word of prayer and they only allow Ivy to go beyond the forest to get medicine for Lucius who had been attacked by Noah but not when Lucius wanted to heal the sick boy it depicts the fate of others that is evident in religion. The village itself also depicts the religion and the world today where they are various restrictions that must be exercised to ensure that one lives as stipulated, the creatures in the forest also represent the evil in the world that from Christianity we must refrain from. The social reproduction described in the theme ensures that the fear the villagers have of the creatures and the outside world ensures that they refrain from going to the forest and also destroys any curiosity they may have of the unknown.
From the above discussion, the village film despite being set in some centuries behind reflects the theme that the society today strives to achieve for its people, unfortunately with the advancement in the world today this has become harder and harder. Also, the various themes have all described the social reproduction where they have been employed to ensure that the structures the elders put in force are adhered to by the members.
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Works Cited
Ebert, Roger. “The Village Movie Review & Film Summary (2004) | Roger Ebert”. Rogerebert.Com, 2004, https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-village-2004. Accessed 13 Mar 2020.
“Themes, Motifs & Symbols In The Village”. Dreamsofpaprika.Livejournal.Com, 2010, https://dreamsofpaprika.livejournal.com/91762.html. Accessed 13 Mar 2020.
The Vegan Culture
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The Vegan Culture
Vegans are described by their commitment to not consuming animal products. Vegans consider the consumption of animal products as being unnecessary as well as unethical. Therefore, the vegan culture is founded on principles that are thought of as superior to the rest of the population in terms of their moral soundness. Usually, many examples support why people should be vegan. For example, the vegan culture is endorsed because it is more sustainable and results in little environmental pollution. For all the arguments that support the vegan culture, the main thing that they have in common is their appeal to moral superiority. Since societies are based on norms influenced by ethics and morals, vegans suggest that the rational culture for society to endorse is the vegan culture.
The first argument that supports the vegan culture is its contribution to sustainability. Sustainability describes the support for the survival of the planet so that the future generation will find a habitable planet. This usually means that for sustainability to be attained, actions that degrade the planet should be avoided. Consequently, all actions which result in pollution should be avoided. One of the activities that result in pollution of the environment is agriculture, especially livestock keeping. Livestock such as beef cattle or dairy cattle is usually kept in large numbers to satisfy the demand for dairy and beef products. However, as the livestock digest the grass and other feed materials, they produce methane gas released into the atmosphere. As methane accumulates in the atmosphere, it leads to global warming because of the heat that the methane gas molecules trap in the atmosphere. The consequences of global warming mean that future generations will find an inhabitable planet that will not adequately cater to their needs. Apart from the high global temperatures that the planet may experience due to global warming, the planet will also be more susceptible to extreme weather conditions, which would impact their survival. Since the demand for dairy and beef leads to the supply and consequently livestock farming, vegans propose switching from animal products to save the planet as a moral duty.
The second argument which vegans propose is that an alternative diet supports undue cruelty on animals. Human beings, in their interactions, pride themselves on being humane. However, vegans argue that consuming animal products makes humans guilty of cruelty. One manifestation of the cruelty is the fact that animals have to die for the diet of humans to be satisfied. Vegans would ask how one would feel if their pet was killed to prepare a meal. Since all animals can be considered the same, the argument that beef cattle should be reared to be butchered and dogs and cats should be regarded as pets does not hold. The second manifestation of the cruelty is the growth conditions that animals are subjected to maximize profits. Usually, animals are conditioned to reproduce to their limits, while animals such as poultry are made to grow as quickly as possible through genetic modification and growth hormones. Thirdly, animals are reared in crowded conditions, which significantly limits their freedom and quality of life. These arguments of cruelty point to a larger overarching argument of speciesism. Just like racism should be discouraged because it is founded on an untrue perception of supremacy, some species should not be considered deserving of better treatment than others.
Vegans also argue that a diet that is made up of animal products is entirely unnecessary. A vegan diet can supply all the nutritional needs that one needs. This can be evidenced by the existence of vegan athletes, considering that sports usually require a comprehensive diet to sustain performance. The argument, therefore, condemns the eating of animal products as an unnecessary set of cultures. For example, different tribes consume different animal products despite broadly accepted beef, dairy, and fish diets. However, some exotic diets, such as dog meat consumption, could be considered inappropriate in some cultures. This points to diets as cultures. Instead of blindly following these cultures, one should consider whether eating animal products is necessary, considering that it results in animal cruelty and unsustainability.
All that vegans suggest is that we should be better humans. We should ascribe to higher morals, especially in a world faced with current issues such as global warming. By switching to a vegan diet, the world would become more sustainable, humane, and healthy.