Whose Coin?

There was a time in my life when I had the responsibility to maintain and file all the income tax reports for our expatriate staff in Sri Lanka. That meant that each year I had to be sure all the forms were filled in and the payments submitted accordingly. This was not in itself a difficult job – the system was simple and the calculations straight forward. It was a bit tedious though, since the forms were long and had to be filled out by hand. A mistake would require that an entire form be redone.

Part of this responsibility also meant that when a staff member was scheduled to leave the country for the final departure we had to go down to the Inland Revenue Department and get a certification that they had paid all their taxes. This was where things got really interesting! Because f the needed security, it took a long time to even get into the building. (Good preparation for current experiences with the TSA folk!) The Sri Lanka Inland Revenue occupied one of the taller buildings in Colombo; one of those buildings of indeterminate age and classification, but which appeared to never have been finished before the repairs needed to be started.

We always had to go up to one of the higher floors and getting into the elevator was an act of courage each and every time. Beyond the fact that the overall environment did not garner much trust, the elevator operator would only allow the lift doors to close when no other person could squeeze into the cubicle! Since I towered over everyone else, at least I could breathe, but I always breathed a lot easier once we got off on the appropriate floor.

My memory of these visits is still rather vivid – I did have the opportunity to go a good number of times during this span of years for various reasons – and sitting here today I still enjoy the conflicting feelings that one experienced in this process. A highlight for me was the way that the records were maintained. The officer in charge (who was the person I would normally be dealing with) would call a peon over (yes, that was their official title) and would give him a scrap of paper with the needed tax identification number on it. The peon would go into a storage room next door which was literally stacked with file folders floor to ceiling and would somehow find the appropriate file and retrieve it within a surprisingly short period of time.  While this was happening I was almost always served a cup of tea which I enjoyed while chatting with the OIC and gazing out the floor to ceiling windows at the cityscape below (well, the windows were not very clean, so the gazing was rather limited.)

Good times! Certainly a far cry from the 15 minutes on line that was required each year in Singapore to file one’s income taxes.  15 minutes to fill in a few numbers, and then basically allow the system to sort everything out till next year. Now, another system as I learn the ropes in Nebraska and the USA! Not sure whether it is easier or harder than Sri Lanka, but it is certainly a far cry from Singapore!

Our Lord Jesus Christ was asked once about paying taxes, and His response was that we should give to the government what is required, and that we should give to God what is rightfully His. We do our income taxes because we have to. The penalties for not filing and paying are the catalyst needed and a deadline makes it something that we do, whether we like it or not, usually around this time of the year. One does not become a resident or citizen of a country by paying taxes, but when one is a resident/citizen one is expected to do so.

The catalyst for giving to God what is rightfully His may seem less immediate or urgent.  The outcome is generally going to be realized in eternity. We may not understand the impact as clearly when it comes to “filing our returns” with God as we do with the government. And… one does not become a member of God’s family by giving to Him what is rightfully His. But when one is a part of the family it is expected that one will do so.

It might be appropriate for us to take that eternal reality more seriously even than we do our earthly tax obligations.