Churches should pay taxes (salaries, how much, dollars, leader) - City-Data Forum

DulceJ · 12-07-2009, 01:22 PM

I know someone who took classes to become a Pastor before he became a Pastor he rented a home after he became a Pastor another Pastor helped him get his own church and now 1 years later he has a multi million dollar home. I wonder how much money he made to be able to afford such an expensive lifestyle.

To be able to attend his church he asks that a person must donate 10% of their salaries to his church.

He brags about how many things he has aquired after he became a Pastor and brags about being exempt from paying taxes in his church.

I feel any and all churches should pay taxes

What do you all think?

jtur88 · 12-07-2009, 01:29 PM

There are freeloaders everywhere. If the church had to pay tax, he'd have to require a 15% tithe to offset it. What would that accomplish?

Do you think you can tax freeloaders out of business?

Thaskateguy · 12-07-2009, 01:31 PM

If I have to pay taxes, everybody should---yeppers.

sunsprit · 12-07-2009, 01:32 PM

Lots of churches demand a tithe. It is up to the membership to ascertain if it's worth it to them for whatever value received. If they believe and fund what you consider to be an excessive salary for their leadership, that's still their business ... and make no mistake, it is a business.

OTOH, I see church owned properties and ventures which go far beyond the concept of religious observance. Perhaps those business efforts should be taxed as a business without the current exemptions.

Pandamonium · 12-07-2009, 01:37 PM

They get audited.

I have more respect for a guy that says, I need you to donate because I need some new rims then someone like................Blow Job Bob aka Oral Roberts.

brightdoglover · 12-07-2009, 01:52 PM

Amen, they should.
I write from Boston where the Catholic church has enormous wealth (or did, until the sex abuse scandals really got rolling). Between that and the massive universities (Harvard's endowment is more than most small countries) there are a lot of tax-free major institutions.
So this atheist says "Amen."

ChrisC · 12-07-2009, 03:12 PM

Hmmm. I think EVERYBODY living in the country should pay taxes. Just a whole lot less than we pay.

Thaskateguy · 12-07-2009, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisC

Hmmm. I think EVERYBODY living in the country should pay taxes. Just a whole lot less than we pay.

If everybody paid, the rest of us wouldn't have to pays so much.

Memphis1979 · 12-07-2009, 03:54 PM

They should have to budget their money. If they can show that their income went to a charity, then that income should be tax exempt, like the rest of us can do.

However, all other money they have, money for expansions, property taxes, and income tax for preachers should be standard.

cleatis · 12-07-2009, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DulceJ

I know someone who took classes to become a Pastor before he became a Pastor he rented a home after he became a Pastor another Pastor helped him get his own church and now 1 years later he has a multi million dollar home. I wonder how much money he made to be able to afford such an expensive lifestyle.

To be able to attend his church he asks that a person must donate 10% of their salaries to his church.

He brags about how many things he has aquired after he became a Pastor and brags about being exempt from paying taxes in his church.

I feel any and all churches should pay taxes

What do you all think?

It seems to me that there more than one kind of church. There are those modest churches that truly practice what the preach. Then there are those that are set up almost like an industry where their prime objective is making money.

I have no problem with the modest church being exempt from taxes as they are at least performing something that resembles a community service. To me I have no problem with churches being exempt from taxation because they are non profit. But then a church rakes in millions of dollars per year, and their pastor lives in a million dollar place, it doesn't really look like a non-profit organization anymore.

I would be in favor of a scale similar to what we have. A church that "earns" less than $X would be exempt. After that they should start paying as it is obviously no longer a non-profit organization.

For the record, I believe in this application for all non-profits, not just churches.