Amanda.Greene@ReligionNews.com

Most people don't think of taxes as any more than just a four-letter word. But can a case be made for virtuous taxes?

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach recently debated whether paying taxes or giving to charity was more virtuous in a column on the Huffington Post.

With possible taxation measures on the November ballot for a Wilmington baseball stadium and a possible general tax increase nationally in 2013 because of the fiscal cliff, some people believe government should just stay out of our pocketbooks. That would do the most good, they say.

According to a recent WHQR interview with University of North Carolina Wilmington senior economist Woody Hall, a stadium would add $60 per household per year in property taxes for Wilmington residents. 

Other camps believe taxation is the bill we pay for living in a free society. That paying taxes invests us in our society.

In the current heated baseball debate, both camps - for and against - make arguments for the greater good. 

The pro-stadium group believes investing taxpayer money in a baseball stadium would boost the local quality of life and attract more employers to settle here, bringing more jobs.

The anti-stadium group believes taxpayer money should be spent on more practical city infrastructure projects such as roads and schools. 

Where do you stand on the greater good debate in baseball? What do taxes mean to you?