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Just caught this item from PBS on the Spanish, of all catholic folks, starting to tax the church over there ... how much revenue could the catholic church add to California's struggling coffers? Is time past to give these institutions a pass?
So few people in Europe or California attend church, this is really a short sighted revenue plan. It would be like taxing museums, the property itself might have some historic value but who will pay?
It would make a whole lot more sense to go to the root of the problem and that means slashing out-of-control spending.
Just caught this item from PBS on the Spanish, of all catholic folks, starting to tax the church over there ... how much revenue could the catholic church add to California's struggling coffers? Is time past to give these institutions a pass?
Just caught this item from PBS on the Spanish, of all catholic folks, starting to tax the church over there ... how much revenue could the catholic church add to California's struggling coffers? Is time past to give these institutions a pass?
There is said to be an old Arabian proverb: "If the camel once gets his nose in the tent, his body will soon follow." This expression is especially pertinent in the tax exemption context. Churches are tax exempt under the principle that there is no surer way to destroy the free exercise of religion than to tax it. If the government is allowed to tax churches (or to condition a tax exemption on a church refraining from the free exercise of religion), the camel's nose is under the tent, and its body is sure to follow. It's the understanding of the U.S. Supreme Court too.
In its 1970 opinion in Walz vs. Tax Commission of the City of New York, the high court stated that a tax exemption for churches "creates only a minimal and remote involvement between church and state and far less than taxation of churches. [An exemption] restricts the fiscal relationship between church and state, and tends to complement and reinforce the desired separation insulating each from the other." The Supreme Court also said that "the power to tax involves the power to destroy." Taxing churches breaks down the healthy separation of church and state and leads to the destruction of the free exercise of religion.
Why do Democrats have to tax everything?
Why don't Democrats just pay more to the IRS than they owe?
Hollywood could send billions to the Federal Government.
Dems keep crying about more money for government - but when it comes down to it, none of them pay like they expect everyone else to.
Only Cali? How about we take away all tax exempt status from every HOW (House of Worship) in every state in the US.
Which is very true, but many pay membership fees and misc other monetary donations w/o ever stepping into a HOW.
No need to do that. Look at the state of Michigan which had been doing very poorly but just won back it's Triple A credit rating and is now in the black.
The politicians in California are the ones that are so adamantly opposed to making any spending cuts that are searching high and low for new taxes so they can continue spending money like there is no tomorrow.
So few people in Europe or California attend church, this is really a short sighted revenue plan. It would be like taxing museums, the property itself might have some historic value but who will pay?
It would make a whole lot more sense to go to the root of the problem and that means slashing out-of-control spending.
Actually... a lot of people in California attend church. We do have a large hispanic population and most of them are staunch Catholics. In addition, the fact that in my town of 23,000 in Coastal California we have 42 churches and 3 private Christian Schools is kind of telling.
As for taxing the Churches, absolutely not. I'm an Atheist, but religious folk have enough power and are constantly scrambling for more. Giving them an excuse to become MORE politically active than they already are would be a disaster.
No need to do that. Look at the state of Michigan which had been doing very poorly but just won back it's Triple A credit rating and is now in the black.
The politicians in California are the ones that are so adamantly opposed to making any spending cuts that are searching high and low for new taxes so they can continue spending money like there is no tomorrow.
Yep,
That's the point - stop taxing the crap out of everybody.
Why don't Democrats just pay more to the IRS than they owe?
Go ahead and try to send a larger amount then due. Within a few months you'd get a check back due to overpayment.
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