(The Point) Today is “tax day” and the deadline to file our taxes. The IRS has estimated that in 2011 the tax gap--the amount of taxes owed minus the amount collected--will be around $400 billion. The IRS claims that at least 17 percent of all taxpayers are not complying with tax laws.

The U.S. tax system is complicated. Paying the IRS back doesn’t leave a good feeling in one’s pocket. Many are tempted to evade paying taxes, but the good feeling from doing the right thing and paying our taxes may be the best relief from the financial pain. “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s….”

(Available now, Doing the Right Thing, a new ethics series from the Colson Center.)