Should the churches be taxed like other businesses?

Question

They are businesses in the business of selling fairy tales as science. Some of them like the Catholic Church and Watchtower Society run large investment firms. They should be taxed like any other business.

Answer 1

I absolutely agree with you. The Watchtower Society is a million-dollar corporation masquerading as a religion, and it is the parent company of the Jehovah's Witnesses (although they will currently deny it due to the recent scandals surrounding the Watchtower Society).

Actually Debbie, the Society is currently using your monies to compensate its former members who were sexually abused while they covered it up, so as "not to bring reproach upon your 'Christian' congregation."

Learn more:
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/10/america/NA-GEN-US-Jehovahs-Witnesses-Sex-Abuse.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlRHaO0y4ro

Answer 2

That depends on whether or not like a business they seek a profit. I did hear of a church that when the end of the year came and they had more than needed to pay the bills, they passed the extra funds back out to the congregation to do good in the local community. Then on the other hand there are the churches who do not understand one limitation of non-profit status is staying out of politics and the many televangelists who seek profit for profit's sake. Those need to be taxed because they aren't just worried about covering basic costs like utilities and payments on a reasonable building for the congregation to show up at. They want the luxuries tax free. Simply if you want to act like a for-profit business, you need to be taxed as one. If you just want enough funds to function and do some good in the community, then I am willing to accept the tax free status

Answer 3

No they should not.

And to the idiot who said "separation of church and state" you make no sense, this has nothing to do with anything. If anything you can read state action into giving them the exemption.

Churches fall squarely under the not for profit status just like any organization that provides certain services to the community.

Whether or not you agree with those services, or whether or not you use them.is a different story as to whether or not someone shoud be granted tax exempt status.

There are a number of reasons why you get this, and religion is only one of them. There are tax exemptions for reasons just as stupid as you might think religion is, and just as fairy tale as the services that a church may provide seem to you. but you don't attack those.

Anything that is for a religious, educational or community purpose or trade organizations (generally, there are more and more details) will get tax exempt status of some kind.

I would not be opposed to revoking the tax exempt status of tax exempt organizations that step over the line and do reprehensible things like purport to provide aid to the poor, or medicine to the poor but only in exchange for converting to a specific religion.

Answer 4

Personally, I'd like to see them get taxed out of existence, even. Buuuut, there's that one catch:

We fought a revolution for independence. Among the grievances was "taxation without representation." This was a major thorn in the colonists' sides.

The framers of the US Constitution had witnessed the problems caused by the churches' meddling in the affairs of the governments in Europe. Consider the conditions which led to the French revolution, for instance. As a protection against that, the Continental Congress wanted no representation for churches, so there was to be no taxation of them.

Today, the religion industry holds undue representation without taxation. Should we give up our secular government by taxing churches, or should we fight to save it by reinforcing that wall of separation and by voting out any "representative" who spouts off religious drivel in a government chamber?

Or maybe a theocracy would be just SOOooo much better. Life in Iran and Indonesia look pretty schweet, right?

Answer 5

The Watchtower is big money, being one of the top 40 New York City Corporations making nearly one billion dollars a year. That's just from one of their many corporations.

Does the Watchtower contribute anything back to the community,for their tax free status?

THINK all you readers who have Kingdom Halls in your town,have you ever seen any charity from them? $200 billion in Watchtower corporation worldwide real estate assets.

http://www.dannyhaszard.com/taxletter.htm read on Watchtower sales tax fraud

Answer 6

Esmerelda's absolutely right.

Meanwhile... to the extent that a church can show it is doing charity work, providing for the poor, disabled, and disaster victims, they should be exempt in the same way as, for example, the Red Cross. But where their activity is self-promoting or paying for lawsuits because of their own bad conduct (and yes, we all know it's not just the dubs) there is NOTHING IN THE CONSTITUTION THAT SAYS THEY'RE EXTEMPT FROM TAXES.

Answer 7

Yes they should. I love all the people on here saying they are non-profit. Really...then where the hell did these churches get the money for the buildings, to pay their clergy, etc.? Oh, you say donations! I say bullshit! Religious institutions hide behind their non-profit status and separation of church and state while they rake in the money. And yes there are too investment co. ran by churches. Do your homework and stop sounding like the blind sheep you are.

Answer 8

CHurches are not for profit. If there's no profit- what are you going to tax? Our church brings less in from offerings than most people in our county make during a year. Very few churches have wealthy pastors. It's just that the most visible churches are wealthy.

Answer 9

LMAO that made me laugh.

You're so right! They looove fundraising, collecting donations, etc. Its funny that you label the Church as a business--because its true. You could just pay indulgences back then and be "forgiven" for heaven sakes (literally)! I see Churches that are businesses, some of which are in disguise, as corruption.

Since Churches are SO involved with money, they definitely deserve to be taxed! After all, aren't they supposed to take 10% of of your earnings as a tithe (tax)??

Answer 10

Nope. The far left holler every chance they get "seperation of church and state." So you have no business taxing something that the majority does not even acknowledge. Christian Churches is the business of God first, then man.

Answer 11

Yes, I do believe the churches should be taxed and my opinion that they should stems from the fact that church donations are abused by that church's leaders for their own personal gain. Also, a lot of churches start businesses that return a profit using church tithes and donations.