Taxation Without Religious Freedom: Could America Ever Have a Jizya Tax?
In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that what Congress couldn’t directly command under the Commerce Clause, it could sometimes influence through taxation. Now consider jizya, the historical Islamic tax imposed on certain non-Muslims. Could Washington someday slap a price tag on religious freedom and call it constitutional? Not so fast. The First Amendment still stands between government and your conscience. But when politicians discover creative ways into your wallet, perhaps Americans should pay attention. After all, religious freedom shouldn’t come with an invoice.