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Heinrich Meyer suggests that Peter's assertion "Yes" makes it "clear that Jesus had hitherto been in the habit of paying the tax". [6]The story ends without stating that Peter caught the fish as Jesus predicted, [7] nor does the text specify the species of the fish involved, but three West Asian varieties of tilapia are referred to as "St. Peter's fish", in particular the redbelly tilapia.
One interpretation of the relevant passages is that the Pharisee or "spy" asking Jesus whether Roman taxes/tribute should be paid was attempting to entrap him into admitting his opposition to doing so, and that upon seeing that the coin was a tribute penny, Jesus avoided the trap by saying to it should be given back to Caesar, because it was his anyway.
The Tribute Money, by Titian (1516), depicts Jesus being shown the tribute penny. "Render unto Caesar" is the beginning of a phrase attributed to Jesus in the synoptic gospels, which reads in full, "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's" (Ἀπόδοτε οὖν τὰ Καίσαρος Καίσαρι καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ Θεῷ).
In later centuries, the half-shekel was adopted as the amount of the Temple tax, although in Nehemiah 10:32–34 the tax is given as a third of a shekel. [ 2 ] This is what each one who is registered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs ), half a shekel as an offering to the Lord.
For example, a person earning €50,000 may pay income tax at 20% (€10,000); the church tax is an additional 8% (or 9%) of that sum (€800 or €900). [10] The paid church tax is deductable in year of paying and reduces the taxable income.
Over time, the payment came to be regarded as a tax rather than an offering, and payment was apt to be avoided, if possible, the more so as time went on. Indeed, in the 13th century, the revenue arising from it had been stabilized, on the basis of the assessment of a much earlier day, at the annual sum of £20 1s. 9d for the whole of England.
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Clergy, such as ministers and members of religious orders (who have taken a vow of poverty) may be exempt from federal self-employment tax on income from ministerial services. Income from non-ministerial services are taxable and churches are required to withhold Federal and state income tax from this non-exempt income.