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When pastors can ask for 65 million dollar airplanes and get them, it's time to drop the hammer on 'em.
Agree with this completely. Those types of pastors and churches would be another target for this tax in addition to the homophobic hate churches. They are clearly running a scam and they should be treated that way.
I'd say put them on a schedule. There are little churches just helping out the poor and sick etc. really there are.. Like mother Theresa. But if they making a profit, tax them. They can do as the very rich and give most of it away in real charity,,, that be ok with me. One church in gulf coast -palm harbor maybe- had a darn golf course??? And wouldn't help a family who had a tragedy. Tax them, and I do not think politicians should step foot in a church unless going in to repent , but never to get votes !
You'd have to remove it for all if you remove it for some, otherwise you'd have a state sanctioned churches sort of thing. What one considers hate speech regarding homosexuals varies. You do find the most blatant ones such as Westboro, and could make a case to revoke their status considering they don't do much except strangely protest at army funerals, but others it's not so easy. Someone could make a case saying that just preaching against the act of homosexuality could be considered hate speech and it's just a slippery slope from there.
The megachurches should just be investigated for fraud.
It could be a tired tax system as with citizens. They report donation income and it is taxed appropriately; the corner churches would be tax exempt and the largest churches would pay significant taxes if they couldn't prove they donate the bulk of their income to charity.
It could be a tired tax system as with citizens. They report donation income and it is taxed appropriately; the corner churches would be tax exempt and the largest churches would pay significant taxes if they couldn't prove they donate the bulk of their income to charity.
I think a tiered system might be a good idea. You would then have to decide however what an acceptable salary is for the pastor of a megachurch. It should be done though.
The hate churches could be weeded out simply by enforcing the Johnson Amendment. Churches should never be able to endorse or host political candidates and keep their tax exempt status. They also shouldn't be able to preach messages like this.
Those churches are much rarer than you think. And it's clear that many of you mostly have contempt for churches in general, had a bad experience with some or just do not know anything about Christian churches in America except for the media's representation of them. Yes, there are bad churches but there are many more good ones that do a lot of good work for the community and don't cheat their flock.
You'd have to remove it for all if you remove it for some, otherwise you'd have a state sanctioned churches sort of thing. What one considers hate speech regarding homosexuals varies. You do find the most blatant ones such as Westboro, and could make a case to revoke their status considering they don't do much except strangely protest at army funerals, but others it's not so easy. Someone could make a case saying that just preaching against the act of homosexuality could be considered hate speech and it's just a slippery slope from there.
The megachurches should just be investigated for fraud.
Nothing screams wise priorities when there is a call to investigate a handful of churches that might waste a few million dollars people CHOSE to give them while the government wastes hundreds of billions of dollars people are FORCED to give them.
Those churches are much rarer than you think. And it's clear that many of you mostly have contempt for churches in general, had a bad experience with some or just do not know anything about Christian churches in America except for the media's representation of them. Yes, there are bad churches but there are many more good ones that do a lot of good work for the community and don't cheat their flock.
I know there are good churches which is why I don't think tax exempt status should be ended for all churches. However, those that abuse it should lose it.
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