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Since this issue has come up a lot in other topics lately, I thought it was worthy of it's own thread. Personally, I have mixed feelings on it. I think an argument could be made for imposing taxes on churches, but I do see some possible arguments in favor of leaving their status as is.
Currently most US churches are exempt from paying property and income taxes, and have been since 1894.
Discuss.
Don't worry junior, we are so far in debt they will soon tax anything they can. Why do you think the TPP was so important? Our Greece moment is coming..
Yes , they are exempt. So if they're in a municipality and receiving services, those costs are then divided among the rest of the tax payers.
Most of the churches give back far more than they take in my community. We had a flood after Hurricane Lee, the churches in this area usually have huge kitchens. They were making meals for a month and even driving around handing them out to homeowners. I'm not talking about balogna sandwiches either.
As another example during Katrina the Mormons had tractor trailers going to New Orleans even before the storm hit. These church organizations serve a very large purpose during catastrophes that simply cannot not be filled by anyone else becsue they already have the infrastructure in place.
AFAIK there isn't anything actually preventing churches from being taxed however you would have to tax all religious organizations and most likely similar social organizations. That would include youth organizations, Lions Club, etc.
AFAIK there isn't anything actually preventing churches from being taxed however you would have to tax all religious organizations and most likely similar social organizations. That would include youth organizations, Lions Club, etc.
In 1894 a law was passed officially noting the tax exemption its had since the founding of the country.
The mega-church in Overland Park, Ks. buys it's minister a new Mercedes every year and yet a few blocks away, homeless people live in cardboard boxes under an overpass. I wonder what their Jesus would think of that? Make them pay taxes.
The mega-church in Overland Park, Ks. buys it's minister a new Mercedes every year and yet a few blocks away, homeless people live in cardboard boxes under an overpass. I wonder what their Jesus would think of that? Make them pay taxes.
Do you generally decide your positions based upon the extreme examples or is this an exception?
Should we end welfare based upon examples of people abusing it?
Yes , they are exempt. So if they're in a municipality and receiving services, those costs are then divided among the rest of the tax payers.
I can see where non-religious people would find that unfair. But we do give back a lot to the community. I know our Catholic Church is always a safe haven for anyone who needs help, whether it be domestic abuse/violence, unwanted pregnancy counseling, drug or alcohol...the door is always open.
But at the same time we pay our gas and elec bill and everything else so why not the taxes?
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
People have been discussing tax exempt charities as if they were indistinguishable from religion. The above quote shows that Congress is barred from passing laws that interfere with either the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise of religion. There i9s no similar prohibition concerning general charities.
Some of the previous posts have suggested that not only should religion be taxed but the tax rate be adjusted to suit the peculiar desire of the poster. Hogwash!
I would have little problem with the non-religious property owned by Churches be taxed. For example, my town has a lot of Church-owned surface parking that is rented out on weekdays to the public; THAT, I think should carry a tax load similar to non-religious owned parking.
Since this issue has come up a lot in other topics lately, I thought it was worthy of it's own thread. Personally, I have mixed feelings on it. I think an argument could be made for imposing taxes on churches, but I do see some possible arguments in favor of leaving their status as is.
Currently most US churches are exempt from paying property and income taxes, and have been since 1894.
Discuss.
If the argument is that opposition to gay marriage means they shouldn't get tax exempt status, to me that is an incredibly weak argument.
All kinds of citizens participate in all kinds of government programs, my kid is going to college, he is getting a state wide scholarship paid for by tax payers including us his parents, should we have to go through some ideological litmus test to get that scholarship?
If you participate in the homeowners tax deduction, should you have to pass some ideological litmus test to participate?
If you get unemployment, Medicare, social security, disability, food stamps, etc should you have to pass some ideological litmus test to claim those benefits?
No, it is the same reason I oppose drug testing recipients of food stamps, why should they have to do that to get government benefits, but all the other participants in government programs don't have to do so.
It is discrimination.
So the whole phony idea that churches are threatened from tax exempt status due to homosexual marriage has no logical basis in reality.
Now whether churches should have tax exempt status separate from that issue, I don't think they should.
A church bought a house down the street for the preacher's son. I guess he worked at the church. The church refused to pay the HOA fee. The fee paid for trash pick up, street lights and the yard man. IMO, that's pretty tacky. The HOA finally stopped picking up his trash. He took it to the church.
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First Amendment to the Constitution
