That answer would be yes, even though many people think they don’t. They pay state and federal taxes, income taxes, real estate taxes, public school tax, county taxes and property taxes. Many Amish pay school taxes twice – for both public schools and private Amish schoolhouses. The Amish are exempt from paying some taxes and must fill out a form to be eligible. To be tax exempt, an Amish must be baptized into the Amish church. All Amish must pay income taxes just like the rest of us. They also get child tax credits which can be up to $1000 dollars a month per child. This can be a substantial amount of money considering Amish have such large families. Amish may hire an accountant to do their income taxes but some do their own taxes.
Amish do not pay or collect social security. Amish were exempt in 1965, with the Medicare Bill, because they viewed it as a form of insurance. The Amish believe that their physical and material needs should be taken care of by the Amish community. Amish own large amounts of land therefore pay high property taxes. They also pay high property taxes because of the large homes they have due to their high number of children. Amish do not benefit from property taxes because they run their own one-room schoolhouses. The Amish do not collect unemployment, social security or welfare benefits. Doing so would be against their religious beliefs. Therefore, they have been exempt from paying into these systems.
One bible verse that explains their belief in not paying taxes is 1Timothy 5:8, “But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel”. The Amish help each other pay for their medical bills and rebuild homes and barns. When someone has a bill they cannot pay, they ask their fellow church goers to help.
So, do Amish pay taxes? Yes, they most certainly do!
