I have some questions. Part of my job is running an importing business for my small shop.<\/p>\n
Do I need to stop doing this? I want to reduce my sin. I want to know the truth about what Jesus wants to see in my life.<\/p>\n\t
“And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous<\/em>” (Exodus 23:8).<\/p>\n
“He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house, but he who hates bribes will live<\/em>” (Proverbs 15:27).<\/p>\n
“A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back to pervert the ways of justice<\/em>” (Proverbs 17:23).<\/p>\n
“The king establishes the land by justice, but he who receives bribes overthrows it<\/em>” (Proverbs 29:4).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I’m assuming that your supplier is still asking you to pay the full amount, but she is offering to change the paperwork to make it look like you paid less. This is lying and stealing from your government. “Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor<\/em>” (Romans 13:7). I understand the desire to pay less in taxes but do so legally. I would not be surprised to learn that since the invoice doesn’t reflect the truth that the woman’s employer is not always getting what is owed to them from her sales.<\/p>\n
The custom’s officer is stealing from his employer, the government. By generating no paperwork he is lying about what is coming through his office. He is getting you to share in his crime by indirectly paying you by letting you keep half of what you should have paid. Again, what is going on is sinful.<\/p>\n
I know that as a small businessman that every savings is critical to the success of your business. Sometimes doing the right thing creates hardships, especially if some of your competitors are not being as honest as Christ demands of you. However, in the long run, you will be better off. People who cheat the government eventually get caught one way or another. It would be better that you are not sharing in their punishment because you no longer share in their sins.<\/p>\n\t
Response:<\/h2>\n
Thanks for your valuable input. I have seen the Scripture you mention and your opinion, and I realize I need to stop my wrongdoing and come back to the right path.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: I have some questions. Part of my job is running an importing business for my small shop. My supplier asked if she can lower the invoice price to make my tax smaller. Is this a sin? The people at the customs office offered me a cheaper solution to the taxes I pay. Instead of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[1290,310,527,392],"class_list":["post-30789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-bribes","tag-government","tag-honesty","tag-lying"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":54173,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-wrong-to-give-a-bribe-in-a-country-where-bribery-is-prevalent-and-demanded\/","url_meta":{"origin":30789,"position":0},"title":"Is it wrong to give a bribe in a country where bribery is prevalent and demanded?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 8, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Please, is paying a bribe to someone who demands it before justice is practiced a sin? The public sector and almost every institution in my country are choked with extortioners and people expecting bribes. Employment in the public sector is found by paying something to politicians and \"middlemen\" before\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":17584,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-we-bribe-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":30789,"position":1},"title":"Can we bribe God?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 25, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Can we bribe God? For example, you have sinned, like you got something that is not yours and without permission, then you want something that only God can give. If you read the Bible after this, is it bribery? Answer: God cannot be bribed for two reasons: First, everything\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":50739,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-i-get-a-license-without-a-bribe\/","url_meta":{"origin":30789,"position":2},"title":"How can I get a license without a bribe?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 17, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, I live in a country where there is a lot of corruption. It's so bad that just to get a driver's license you have to pay. You still have to do the test and you have to successfully maneuver the car, but you have to pay nonetheless, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":46558,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-giving-a-gift-to-a-well-placed-friend-wrong\/","url_meta":{"origin":30789,"position":3},"title":"Is giving a gift to a well-placed friend wrong?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 23, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I want to know more about bribes, If we know some people in control, like a chief or head of a department, and we are friendly with them, perhaps sometimes giving a gift or support at a time of need, such as a sick family member, and that person\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16300,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-christians-choose-not-to-pay-an-income-tax\/","url_meta":{"origin":30789,"position":4},"title":"Can Christians choose not to pay an income tax?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 10, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Recently, a man teaching a Bible class made the\u00a0comment that \"We as Christians can choose not to pay our income taxes with a clear conscience as it was an unconstitutional act when these taxes were brought into law\" I disagree because\u00a0my understanding is that\u00a0Romans 13\u00a0and \"rendering to Caesar what\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45770,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-god-hold-us-responsible-when-we-pay-taxes-to-a-government-that-uses-the-money-for-sinful-purposes-such-as-funding-abortions\/","url_meta":{"origin":30789,"position":5},"title":"Does God hold us responsible when we pay taxes to a government that uses the money for sinful purposes, such as funding abortions?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 18, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I live in a State where Medicare covers abortions. Since our taxes pay for Medicare, will God hold us responsible for this? We are told in the Bible to pay taxes, but as citizens, we don't have control over how the money is spent. 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