Some people will ask "doesn't Romans 13 tell us to render 'tribute to whom tribute is due'?". To them I say, "Yes, we should pay taxes to whom taxes is due but did the Jews owe taxes to Rome?" (Or does an Israelite today owe takes to the United States Government?)
The Jews were still under the Old Covenant with God. In that covenant, God set up a governmental system for Israel. In that government their tithes (taxes) averaged to almost 13% * (this was a voluntary tax).
The system of government that God set up did everything. It had a welfare program (Deuteronomy 14:28-29, Deuteronomy 15:7-11, Exodus 23:10-11, Leviticus 19:9-10) and a great defense system. It had policemen (High priest’s servants) who went out looking for lawbreakers (sinners) to bring them to the courthouse (temple), in front of the judge (High Priest). The Judge (High Priest) would then rule on the case and if that person were found guilty he would have to pay fines (sacrifices). [Also, let me point out that the death penalty was used in this government.] God ran his whole government on just 613 statutes and commandments (613 is the official Jewish count. I have found by studying this topic that they missed some).
The defense system that God set up is in Leviticus 26 where the Lord tells Israel if they keep his statutes and commandments, and do them, that He will bless and protect Israel.
Israel must not have done what God told them because they partially fell under Roman control. The Levitical priest system and the whole government that God set up was still intact; still enforcing God’s laws; still fining law breakers; and still collecting tithes (taxes for services rendered). The only difference is that Roman soldiers were walking around enforcing an unlawful tax to Rome. And if the Jews would have repented for what ever they did, then they could have kicked the Romans back out.
Now, obviously governments need to collect some type of tax to run. If you are under a certain government and take advantage of their government grants, public schools, libraries, retirement plan, etc. Then obviously you need to pay taxes to the government that provides the services for you (“Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due” [Romans 13:7]).
So, you are probably thinking that these two answers conflict with each other. How could one stop paying taxes and still give taxes to whom taxes is due? Simple, if you stop paying taxes, then stop using the government's services. Hypothetically speaking, if Jesus was living in Canada and stopped paying taxes, then (while he is evading the government) he wouldn't use a public (free) library or a public (free) hospital etc., because then he would have to render tribute for services rendered (nothing is ever free).
One last note. Romans 13 was an epistle by Paul. Before we just read over this chapter, and except the easy understanding of it, remember the following:
1. Peter said in 2 Peter 3:15-16 that Paul’s epistles were hard to understand.
2. This same Paul who said, in that same chapter, "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers." was the same guy who was beaten with rods 3 times, whipped 5 times, frequently went in and out of prison and frequently evaded the people who were trying to put him in prison (the government). He was the same guy who got beheaded by his government!?! (No one gets beheaded by their government for being submissive.)
(Even though I do not agree with everything this site says it goes into more about Romans 13 http://romans13. embassyofheaven.com/index.html )
This is a hard topic to understand, and harder for me to explain in detail. Just know that if you are lead by the Holy Spirit then there is a time to submit and a time to resist. There might even be a time to lie (Exodus 1:16-21; Joshua 6), or kill (all though out the Old Testament). So there is a time to pay and a time not to pay. We as Israelite should only contract with the True Lawgiver. Anyone or any government trying to make up their own laws is putting themselves up as a god. We should not contract with these gods. If you are in this contract, get out of it before you stop paying taxes.
