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There is a dry town in SE Texas that the city changed the ordinances for no new churches within the city. Their lack of paying property taxes hurt the ability for the town to provide services in the city. And this is a very conservative town.
As far as income taxes go they could register as a non profit and the federal income tax situation would be the same. You would have to remove the existence of non profits or change the laws so churches would no longer be non profit.
What we should look at too are private schools and universities which are often flush with cash and do not pay property taxes.
That being said we should change the laws and make churches pay taxes like a corporation. Also end the non profit property tax loophole for churches and other non profits.
And the argument that many small churches would not survive if they were taxed? So be it. If they have to survive on public assistance via tax dollars they should not exist.
Fifty years ago I lived in a suburb of St.Louis. The church owned much of the property in the town. Every parish had a school even middle and high schools. The Lutherans owned a lot of property, the Methodist had many acres tied up in assisted and senior housing. The town had to provide water, sewer, roads, snow removal etc. The town stated taxing their utilities. The churches had no objection. It was hard for a town of 35,000 to support that many institutions.
I used to be against it. However, no organization should be this powerful, this influential on our politics, and this wealthy without being taxed. I think the church's political activism is going to result in, sooner or later, the inevitable. I think now is the time to start talking about it since the church shoulders most of the responsibility for Donald Trump and the current political environment. Maybe that tax money could help pay for universal health care, you know, something Jesus actually would be for?
According to all scriptures regarding tithes, tax exemption is not even scriptural! Just one more example how phony and man-made religion is!
If churches actually practiced what they(sometimes) preach, there would be no need for government social programs! All most use their income for is to make a nicer social club for their members.
Last edited by i_love_autumn; 05-26-2018 at 10:27 AM..
I voted it depends. If they can show that they are truly funding charities then they can get tax breaks. If they are buying private jets for the megachurch pastors then not so much.
What if they are funding charities and engaging political activities like preaching from the pulpit, organizing demonstrations etc?
Hell, even funding charities and feeding the homeless can be considered political activities in today's climate.
I like paved roads and running water...among other things I find necessary.
If my taxes are covering water, why do I still have a water bill?
SOME taxes are needed, but NOWHERE REMOTELY close to the amount we are required to pay today, majority of this goes for stupid things like the war on drugs!
If they want to play in the political sandbox, the Catholic church needs to be taxed. Let's just start with income and property taxes.
No, that is NOT the Catholic Church being active. That is A Catholic Church being active and just like with anything, people will abuse things and you can address that.
The churches and Govt are in collusion today, have you ever noticed how 'buddy-buddy' churches are with the cities and states they are located in? thats a big red flag!
If churches were really teaching Gods laws, cities and states would hate and despise them, and aggressively try to shut them down.
If my taxes are covering water, why do I still have a water bill?
SOME taxes are needed, but NOWHERE REMOTELY close to the amount we are required to pay today, majority of this goes for stupid things like the war on drugs!
In my town, taxes pay to get the water piped to me, and the effluent to sanity sewer treatment plant. My water bill is for the water I use.
Pastors support certain legislation and certain legislators already.
We were trying out various churches in our area before the marriage amendment vote in North Carolina. Pastors were ranting from the pulpit about this. Abomination against the Lord, etc.
They are permitted once again to comment on legislation. You saying they commented on legislators isn't anything to discuss here.
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Evangelical pastors are indeed getting up in front of the congregation before elections and being clear about how all "good Christians" should be voting.
This is why this topic and largely this entire site and probably most of the internet is a waste of time. They can do that. I already addressed this and yet, you rant on.
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Several of our friends are anti-choice and belong to groups working on this. All the groups are church based.
Anecdotel evidence is next to worthless (not that it will stop you) but a church is permitted to be Pro-life just the same as P.P. is permitted to be pro-choice.
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Expenses related to charitable endeavors such as running soup kitchens, homeless shelters, etc. are tax deductible.
Buying a plane for the pastor is not.
It's not a difficult concept to grasp.
And yet, you are not able to grasp how taxes work even though I went over it already.
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Since Republicans have decided that the wealthy do no need to carry their share of the tax burden, that despite their using the infrastructure, educated workforce, American market ... to make their wealth, they should be able to slide by on a little bit of nothing, who exactly do you propose pay the taxes that support this nation?
OFF TOPIC. I am NOT a Republican and I don't support much of what they advocate and I have no desire to discuss it here.
Yes it is. It is rarely enforced would be more accurate. You can find rare occasions when it happens and I have no problem when it's addressed.
The powers that be are trying hard to do away with the requirement that they are not allowed to do politics in church....
"President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order aimed at making it easier for churches to participate in politics, seeking to deliver on a campaign pledge to a community that overwhelmingly backed in him in last year’s election.
The order, which Trump unveiled with great fanfare in a Rose Garden ceremony, was cheered by some conservative Christians but seen as a disappointment by others, who said it fell short of the broader changes they wanted as part of a highly anticipated measure on religious liberties.
The order, Trump said, removes the financial threat faced by tax-exempt churches from the Internal Revenue Service when pastors speak out on behalf of political candidates. But some experts said it amounts to a mostly symbolic gesture with little likelihood of changing how the agency polices the issue."
Let's not pretend that government is going further away from this stuff - when, in fact, the complete opposite is true.
No way this government is going to care about politics with church money. Not for a NY minute.
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