In a policy document to be published in Westminster this afternoon, the Catholic bishops of England and Wales argue that taxation is for the common good and is a “sign of our solidarity with one another and our humanity”. The document is an attempt to put the role of taxation within the moral context of Catholic social teaching, and insiders were quick to say that it was not party political.

But coming days after Michael Howard, the Conservative leader, argued the moral case for lower taxes, it will be interpreted as another statement of support from the Catholic Church for socialist fiscal policies. Taxation for the Common Good is a follow-up to The Common Good, published by the bishops in 1996 and widely seen as an endorsement for Tony Blair shortly before his party’s election victory the following year.

The new document hints at frustration from the Catholic Church that the Labour Government has failed to live up to some of the expectations of the Left, particularly in regard to tax.

The bishops offer specific support for the fiscal policies of Gordon Brown, noting, however, that he has not changed the standard rate of income tax. “Current levels of income tax are historically low, and when considerably higher in the 1980s, levels were accepted,” they argue.

With reference to the NHS, the bishops say: “The Chancellor of the Exchequer has now proposed that the additional resources needed to restore services to an acceptable level should come from taxation.

“There is clear evidence that, providing the improvement in services is obvious, the payment of additional taxation becomes accepted.” The bishops give warning of “an increasing turning to the private and the present”. They say: “The NHS offers an example (of) the principle of a tax-funded service for the common good, yet central government has been reluctant to raise taxes, particularly visible ones such as income tax, to fund it. This is believed to be electorally unattractive.

“However, this has been brought into question by opinion polls. There is also evidence that local authorities providing comprehensive services, albeit at higher levels of local taxation, tend to get re-elected.”

The bishops make no reference to the current protests by pensioners against rising rates of council tax. Instead, they insist that the argument that higher taxes curtail freedom is flawed.

“By focusing too narrowly on our own individual freedom we can fail to secure the wider foundation needed to achieve the very thing we seek. It becomes self-defeating. We cannot claim to extend freedom to all if we do not attend to the needs of all.” Historically, they link taxation with the right to vote. “Universal taxation and universal suffrage have, in democratic political traditions, gone hand-in- hand.” They acknowledge that excessive taxation can diminish personal initiative, incentive and enterprise. But the Most Rev Peter Smith, chairman of the Christian responsibility department of the bishops’ conference, said what was often missing from tax debates was realisation of what tax represented in terms of a “shared commitment as citizens to building up a society that serves the common good”.

THE BIBLE’S TAKE ON TAXATION

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