Tax-exempt status for religion: good or bad?

[Quirinus]

Uhm.... yes. Major religions receive tax-exempt status -- are you for or against it? How would you define a 'religion'?

By the way, do minor religions like, say, Mormonism or Zoroastrianism, share this tax-exempt status?

Discuss? :sweatdrop:

[JAG]

I dislike it, though some religious people and some religiously afiliated people do good charitable work, religion is not a charity. It is not something that should benefit from tax-exemptiom, tax the bastards for all they got, I say.

[Fragony]

With small religions most money comes from private funding ie churchmembers, it is money that was already taxed it's to people to decide how they spend it. If a bigger organisation puts it in stocks and such they should be taxed equally but I believe it already is.

[TB666]

If the religion survives on donations then I can see why they should get this status.
But religions like Scientology shouldn't not get the status.
The religion is based on the member has to pay a fee(a large fee as well) to be allowed to be apart of it.
That's not a religion, that's a business and business pays tax.

[El Diablo]

I do not see why religeon should be exempt from taxes. They have a huge amount of land and yet do not need to pay for it.

This comes in two forms - income tax. I do not think they should pay on this in the same way that an amature sports club does not have to pay tax on the "fees" it gets of its players. Once again - not for profit = not for taxation.

However we have a tax on land ownership in New Zealand for local governement that covers getting fresh water, rubbish collection, maintenace of the community infrastructure. This I feel should be paid by the land owning church. They use the fresh water, and get rubbish collected etc.

But it is worse here than that, schools do not have to pay it and neither does that Government owned state housing. Thus a smaller percentage of the population pays for all. I am not saying that the poor should have to pay it in the state housing as a landlord here is liabel for the rates bill and that would be the government.

[Sigurd]

I think they receive a tax exempt for donating money to the church.
Like anyone else who donates money to charitable organisations. The organisation needs to register this donation for the authorities to check. The Mormons pay a tenth of what they earn to the church, something that the other churches have “exempted” from their current doctrine all though it is there… buried.

Besides, with a state church a part of your tax goes to the church even if you are no a member. Again, another reason for members of other religions to get a tax exempt.

[Ice]

I dislike it, though some religious people and some religiously afiliated people do good charitable work, religion is not a charity. It is not something that should benefit from tax-exemptiom, tax the bastards for all they got, I say.

yup

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

The Church gives to charitable donations and also collects donations from the congregation. This money comes, as Fragony has said, from the personal pockets of the congregation, and if we tax it, we should tax all other donations.

[Ice]

The Church gives to charitable donations and also collects donations from the congregation. This money comes, as Fragony has said, from the personal pockets of the congregation, and if we tax it, we should tax all other donations.

So you would say the main function of a church is to act as a charity, using donations to operate it's running costs, and giving the rest to charity?

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

So you would say the main function of a church is to act as a charity, using donations to operate it's running costs, and giving the rest to charity?

No, not necessarily, though many large Church organizations (Catholic Church, etc.) give a large sum of money to charities and missionary work. Of course, money has to go to maintenance, buying food, drink, and living supplies for Church staff, and more, but the Church is a very charitable organization.

[Joeokar]

hey what about governments keep its disgusting hands off of churches and the common man hard earn money? :soapbox: as someone has most of his family who work in these governments and see its disgust corruption where half of a departments workers are sleeping in there cars :furious3: and the one to get in trouble is the man who gets everything done from rumors from some sick son of :furious3: who are pissed off at him for reporting this crap to his superiors. ~:pissed: ~:angry: go ahead take more money from people who else is going to pay the man who stomps on your head like the power hungry bastards that they are.

[HoreTore]

and missionary work.

You think someone should get tax exempt status for spreading their own faith?

[Banquo's Ghost]

You think someone should get tax exempt status for spreading their own faith?

Well, organisations like Friends of the Earth and the WWF get charitable status to spread their own faith on climate change, for example.

Or, less controversially, Amnesty is a charity that promotes its belief in human rights. One could cite many more, so I don't think the spreading of faith necessarily disqualifies an organisation from charitable status.

[Quirinus]

Besides, with a state church a part of your tax goes to the church even if you are no a member. Again, another reason for members of other religions to get a tax exempt.
Oh.... I did not know this. Whatever happened to the seperation of church and state?

[HoreTore]

Those are political pressure groups. I'm not very fond of those getting special treatment either.

But just to clarify: What does "tax exempt" mean, exactly? Does it only mean no income tax? If so, it would be fine for every organization who lives off donations. However, if they're also free from other taxes(like the VAT), it should be restricted to charities IMO(those who do it directly, not through political pressure/missionary/whatever). And of course, if an organization is involved in multiple things, it would only be free from taxation on the charity part...

[HoreTore]

Oh.... I did not know this. Whatever happened to the seperation of church and state?

In countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia and Norway, there is no separation of church and state.

[Zim]

A lot of countries in Europe have had some kind of state church for a long time. Religion and state are separated to the point of neither having any sort of coercive effect against the other, but the official church may still get tax money.

Rather like democracies with monarchies, it can seem a bit confusing but seems to work for some reason. Some countries I think have official state churches (I think in Germany and/or one or two Scandinavian countries the Lutheran church is, maybe the Anglican church in England?) are even very secular in most ways, even more so than some countries with no state church (like the U.S.A. or Mexico). Personally, I try not to think too much about it, and take the word of people who live in those countries about how secular and/or democratic they are. :clown:


Oh.... I did not know this. Whatever happened to the seperation of church and state?

[Viking]

In countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia and Norway, there is no separation of church and state.


Excellent comparison. ~D

[Husar]

I think introducing more taxes is a great idea, next we will have to tax birthday presents as well! There's a whole lot of tax evasion going on in this suspicious underground activity so many people participate in without filling out a bunch of forms. :sweatdrop:
And keep in mind that someone who celebrates her/his birthday is not a charitable organization!

[Fragony]

ssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhtt! :wall:

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

I think in Germany and/or one or two Scandinavian countries the Lutheran church is:

I'm fairly sure the Catholic Church in Bavaria may be recognized as the "state church" here, but since I'm not a true-blooded Bavarian (even though I am Catholic), I'm not completely sure.

[Ice]

No, not necessarily, though many large Church organizations (Catholic Church, etc.) give a large sum of money to charities and missionary work. Of course, money has to go to maintenance, buying food, drink, and living supplies for Church staff, and more, but the Church is a very charitable organization.

The money they give to charity should be tax free. Since they aren't actually a charity though, the money they receive from contributions should be taxed.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

The money they give to charity should be tax free. Since they aren't actually a charity though, the money they receive from contributions should be taxed.

Those contributions are direct donations, and you can donate to any organization tax free. Why should you not be able to donate to a Church tax free?

[Ice]

Those contributions are direct donations, and you can donate to any organization tax free. Why should you not be able to donate to a Church tax free?

I don't think you can donate large sums of money to organizations tax free. I think there a set limit and then it gets taxed.

If that's not the case, then obviously they shouldn't be taxed.

[Sigurd]

It is not completely tax-free to donate money to charity/religion. You get a tax-reduction amounting to a specific sum. Here the max reduction is around 6000 NoK which is €750/$1200. It is not much if you give 100 000 to your church or your charitable organsiation. You still have to pay the 30 odd percent of your 100 Large in taxes (You need to earn 130 000 to have 100 000 to spend) Giving 6000 won't give you a 6000 reduction though... I am a little unclear on the rules. I asked a Mormon friend about this and he told me he get the 6000 reduction.

Let's say you earn 1 000 000. You have to pay a tax (30% to make it easy) that amounts to 300 000.
1 000 000 - 300 000 = 700 000. You then pay tithe to your church which is 100 000 (yea it is gross value)
700 000 - 100 000 = 600 000.

You only get a 6% deduction (6000) on the 100 000 you paid your church. So it is not tax-free. It is a tax-reduction. There is still 24% missing or 24 000 that you should have got, IF it was tax exempted.

Sweden has a better option, they have a tick box on their tax sheet that you tick if you are not a member of the state religion. This gives you a tax reduction amounting to what your share of the tax would be that goes to said church.

[Rodion Romanovich]

If the religion survives on donations then I can see why they should get this status.
But religions like Scientology shouldn't not get the status.
The religion is based on the member has to pay a fee(a large fee as well) to be allowed to be apart of it.
That's not a religion, that's a business and business pays tax.
Strictly speaking, don't all religions live off money from its members? In one way or another. Tax breaks are almost equivalent to having every citizen of the country (including non-believers) pay for the religions they may not be part of. That's in fact even more outrageous, since sects at least give you the freedom to choose whether you will be part of financing it.

[Rodion Romanovich]

Excellent comparison. ~D
I will put it in my signature :2thumbsup:

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

You think someone should get tax exempt status for spreading their own faith?
Missionary work can also involve giving medical aid, not necessarily only conversion.

[HoreTore]

Missionary work can also involve giving medical aid, not necessarily only conversion.

Then you get some bonus because of the medical aid, but not all since it's still spreading of your own god, which is for your own benefit, it won't matter to the receiver.

[CountArach]

You know what they say:

Tax 'em all and let God sort 'em out!