Tax officials in Sierra Leone have infuriated Christians with the publication on Monday of newspaper advertisements saying Jesus Christ supported the paying of taxes.
The half-page advertisements said that when Jesus was asked if he was against a law requiring the payment of taxes to the Roman emperor, he replied: “Pay the emperor what belongs to the emperor and pay to God what belongs to God,” quoting from the Gospel of Matthew (22:17-21).
It continued: “All Christians should follow the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. This week: pay your taxes.”
The advertisements provoked the anger of Christians, who make up 30% of the population of the West African nation.
Anglican priest Thomas Carew said he could not “believe his eyes”, while Methodist pastor Cyril William described it as a “blasphemy” and called on the tax department to drop the ads.
A tax-department spokesperson said the initiative “was to encourage people to pay their taxes as soon as possible”. — AFP