CDZ Churches - Tax Exempt Status

[HenryBHough]

I have come to understand that The Democrat Party is no longer a political organization, it has become a cult - a religion. Grasping that it becomes clear that NO religious organization should be exempt from any form of tax. In fact, they should be tripple-taxed until they have paid back all the years of having had unfair exemption.

 

[M14 Shooter]

Huh.
Liberals preach the separation of church and state... until they want the church's money.
Go figure.

Hey there latent homo...

You're still upset that I keep turning you down?

Liberal do not preach separation of church and state, the US Constitution does.

It does not. Separation of church and state is a post-constitutional doctrine; liberals preach it high and wide.

Since churches are scams ...

You believe in the separation of church and state.
How does the fact you believe they are scams mean this separation should not be maintained?

 

[M14 Shooter]

If the mainstream churches were to give up even 1/4 their wealth there would be not poverty on planet earth...

if they gave up that wealth to the state for redistribution, there would be MORE poverty on earth.

If I were president....

This would not happen even if you were last person on earth.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

Fat Bastardo:

I suggest you take some time to review the rules for the various forums.

No flaming in the CDZ.

 

[pauls]

In order to answer this question, one must consider the effect of taxation. If taxes are not paid when due the property being taxed can be confiscated and resold to recover the taxes. On the surface that sounds fair enough but if you look closely it make taxation - especially on the poor - a vehicle to confiscate property without paying full and just value and then selling it to a wealthier person for a very low cost. That makes taxation a vehicle of unjust confiscation or the destruction of ownership. In fact of law, that was the very reason provided for the refusal of the federal government to submit to state taxation. source: http://www.willamette.edu/wucl/pdf/review/41-1/gunning.pdf
If churches and tax exempt charities are thus taxed then they can be destroyed or lost to the people. That would infringe on the rights protected by the first amendment. On an extension to this argument any funds that a church or charity receives that are not a direct function of their "statement of service" are indeed taxable. Rent collected on properties is taxable, wages collected by officials are taxable, sales or exchanges of properties, other than to another tax exempt organization are taxable.

Tax exempt does not mean tax free.

 

[Picaro]

In order to answer this question, one must consider the effect of taxation. If taxes are not paid when due the property being taxed can be confiscated and resold to recover the taxes. On the surface that sounds fair enough but if you look closely it make taxation - especially on the poor - a vehicle to confiscate property without paying full and just value and then selling it to a wealthier person for a very low cost. That makes taxation a vehicle of unjust confiscation or the destruction of ownership. In fact of law, that was the very reason provided for the refusal of the federal government to submit to state taxation. source: http://www.willamette.edu/wucl/pdf/review/41-1/gunning.pdf
If churches and tax exempt charities are thus taxed then they can be destroyed or lost to the people. That would infringe on the rights protected by the first amendment. On an extension to this argument any funds that a church or charity receives that are not a direct function of their "statement of service" are indeed taxable. Rent collected on properties is taxable, wages collected by officials are taxable, sales or exchanges of properties, other than to another tax exempt organization are taxable.

Tax exempt does not mean tax free.

Churches pay taxes on property they're not using directly for church purposes already. Ministers and any other church employee who is paid already pays payroll taxes on those earnings; most ministers are in fact considered 'contractors', and pay all of the Social Security taxes and other payroll levies out of their earnings as well, on a 1099.

People hear 'tax exempt', and have some false idea of what that means. And by the way they are tax excepted, which is a difference; 'exemption' implies they have received some sort of government approval, which isn't the case legally. They don't need any government approval, period; the government can do nothing to interfere with their operations.

Re the '501.c status, churches file these forms with the IRS entirely voluntarily, they don't have to incorporate nor are they required to file 501.c reports. Some do so voluntarily, for the benefit of donors, as it makes it easier on them when it comes to dealing with the IRS, but even if they don't file the IRS can only audit the donor's tax returns, even though the deduction will likely still be valid; it's just a hassle. Politicians like to use the IRS against each other and uppity peasants who get too noisy.

 

[Picaro]

Churches should be taxed like everyone else. That would of course have the added benefit of freeing them to speak from the pulpit on any political issue of their choosing without fear of the blackmail of losing tax-exempt status.

Charities, and funds collected by churches for charitable use should NOT be taxed.

Some churches have not signed up for tax exemption.

That can, and do, say what they like.

Within the wording of the establishment clause, yes, and the only way this can be changed is by a national referendum; Congress has no power to do it by passing bills, and neither do state governments; the state governments had all struck down their state favored religion sect laws by the late 1830's. They mostly related to state churches levying taxes to fund schools and the like anyway, and as American demographics changed the political power also shifted away from the state established sects of earlier decades.

I'll also not the First Great Awakening contributed directly to the Revolution, and the Second Great Awakening got Thomas Jefferson elected President, for two terms. Those evangelicals were an important political force, and most Americans should be grateful for that early influence, given the alternatives, and they should be grateful today as well. It was a Baptist fundie who invented the whole premise of separation of church and state, for those who don't know: Thomas Helwys.