Taxation is theft, right? This is a common contention we hear from many Conservatives. The sentiment is understandable, especially given the frankly rather extortionate tax rates seen in some places, and with so little to show for it. We also live in a society in which Socialism is becoming increasingly popular, meaning those who work ultimately pay for those who don't.
But as understandable as it is, the whole "taxation is theft" mentality is not Biblical. Indeed, the Bible rarely encourages us to be rebels. Rather, we are told to be subject to the governing authorities, and to pay taxes to them (Romans 13:1-6). Why? Because even the ungodly governments serve a Godly purpose. It is their job to maintain peace and security in their jurisdiction.
Imagine an anarchistic society. Surprisingly, this isn't even a thing we, as Christians, need to imagine. The Bible describes a time when there was no king in Israel, and so every man did what was right in his own eyes. What would the world be like if this was the case everywhere? You only need to look at today's chaos to see why that would be a bad thing. Every day, brave men and women put on a badge that says "if you want to destroy my community, you'll have to get through me first". And there are plenty of evil people who are more than willing to oblige them. Wherever we live, we need these people. As I'm sure you will agree, they should not be expected to serve us for free. Someone has to pay for their training, their equipment, and of course their much deserved wages. As the Bible says, "...the labourer is worthy of his hire." (Luke 10:7).
On top of the police, there is the military, who of course have the job of protecting the nation against all threats, foreign and domestic. The horrors they face on a regular basis to ensure we can sleep peacefully in our beds at night cannot be understated. These also require taxes to survive.
Peace, justice and security would be very hard to maintain without some kind of tax, and so God declares that we ought to pay such taxes in obedience to those governing authorities who perform such a function. What's especially interesting is who Paul wrote this scripture to. Paul lived in Rome, and he was writing to Romans! He himself was imprisoned quite often, and needless to say the taxes Rome took, aside from often being extortionate, were not exactly spent in a justified manner.
It can seem unjustified to workers that some of what they earn is forcibly taken from them, and frankly, some tax rates are absurd, but the truth is, according to the Bible, some of the money you have worked for is justifiably taken to give to those who work for you. Taxation can become theft, but a little taxation is an entirely Biblical fee given to those who provide a very important service. Thus, it is not evil in and of itself.