Heh. Won't be the first time the headline-happy Indian media is proved wrong. I'm in India right now, and the 24/7 TV news stations are so shrill, one wonders what they'd do if there were real news. The English dailies are a little better ... though the Economic Times is often no better than a tabloid, in the words of my late father (who had a stint as the Editor of what was once India's leading financial daily, back when the Times group was into journalism and not content-management).

You're spot on about tax-evasion in India. I think the tax base is an abysmal 3%. No kidding.

I'm surprised that any segment of the Indian press is concerned about what the Pope says, unless he says anything remotely about evangelization, in which case they can screech in an orgy of self-righteous indignation about evil missionaries preying on poor benighted "backward castes."

And yes, let's all please wait till we have an Encyclical before we let our heads explode?
Gashwin Gomes | Homepage | 08.16.07 - 9:23 am | #

[Not that too many of your readers would really care, but I have a couple of posts on India's maddening taxation system here and here.
Gashwin Gomes | Homepage | 08.16.07 - 9:35 am | #

Does seem rather doubtful considering that he just came off vacation and how long it normally takes the Vatican to do all of the translations before being released.
Jeff Miller | Homepage | 08.16.07 - 9:53 am | #

This doesn't seem a very spiritual topic for an encyclical. There are a lot more important topics--abortion, Islam, liberalism, etc.

Perhaps if governments would lower their tax rates for the middle class and wealthy, less people would evade taxes.

We got a lot more revenue here in the U.S. when Bush cut taxes. Plus, when you cut taxes, you spur the economy, which then generates revenue. Economics 101 for the Vatican.

Amazing: there is going to be an encyclical on taxes. The Church needs to get back to its main mission, which is saving souls.
Gabe | Homepage | 08.16.07 - 1:43 pm | #

Maybe the term "in a matter of days" is to be understood by Roman standards?
Edward Peters | Homepage | 08.16.07 - 6:52 pm | #

Gabe--

The Church is supposed to save the souls of politicians, too. And if they are bahving unjustly--and writing policies that create entire unjust systems and structures of sin--it's Her duty to address that.
Kate B. | Homepage | 08.17.07 - 2:15 pm | #