With taxes due by Tuesday, one Oregon man is trying to get out of paying his by claiming he shouldn’t have to… because he’s a Christian.

Michael Bowman hasn’t filed a tax return or paid taxes since 1999 on grounds that the money would be used to support abortions, which he opposes.

“A woman has the right to choose, but apparently, the prosecutor feels I do not have a right to choose,” Bowman wrote [in a court filing].

Federal dollars don’t fund abortions, except in rare circumstances like saving a woman’s life. It’s the pro-choice side that should be upset about that, not the other side. Furthermore, courts have already ruled that religious objections aren’t an acceptable excuse for not paying taxes. (Otherwise, a lot of people would find religion real fast.) Just because you don’t agree with where your money goes doesn’t mean you can avoid paying taxes.

It’s a form of Christian privilege that Bowman thinks his faith can override those rules.

The reason he’s in the news right now is because he just won a victory of sorts.

Back in 2012, when the Oregon Department of Revenue began taking money directly from his bank account, Bowman tried beating the system by cashing all his work checks and leaving the bare minimum in the bank. The government accused him of felony tax evasion. The judge simply said Bowman is allowed to use his bank account however he wants. It’s not like his employer doesn’t report Bowman’s salary to the IRS. It’s not like there’s no longer a paper trail.

U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman ruled that the government’s indictment failed to provide any evidence that Michael Bowman tried to conceal or mislead government officials by simply cashing his checks and keeping a low bank balance so tax collectors couldn’t garnish his account to pay taxes.

So it was a technical victory. There are still four other counts against him directly dealing with his not paying taxes.

It’s hard to see how he has any path to victory on the substance of his case. Being a Christian isn’t a Get Out of Taxes Free card. He’s not a religious martyr. He’s a freeloader who’s using Christianity as justification. He deserves a severe punishment after years of dodging the law.

(Screenshot via YouTube. Thanks to Sue for the link)

