YippySkippy wrote:
Non-profit charities have tax exemption, so churches could still retain some exemption by keeping all their charitable expenses seperate from their religious expenses. In truth, I think the only reason churches are exempt in the first place is because they are viewed mainly as charitable organizations. My problem with this is that some churches put more of their funds towards charity than others, and also some churches discriminate against gays, non-Christians, and others.
Churches are non-profits. Christian churches are (or at least SHOULD be) supported by tithes and other voluntary offerings, donations, etc. Church staff are paid from the church treasury, of course, but we still have to pay taxes, too. The people who support the local church through their giving are already taxed. So, basically, the church isn't really tax exempt (because the church body is constituted by people who do pay taxes). All the church treasury is is a pool of financial resources from the community that goes to hiring personnel, though some churches are staffed entirely with unpaid volunteers, for maintaining property (which is basically property held in common), and for meeting its goals (missions, local community outreach, caring for the needs of its members, etc.). The money is already taxed, so there isn't much point in taxing the church itself.
Some individual churches DO operate more like a business in the usual sense and their leaders live fairly extravagant lifestyles. The Copelands, Benny Hinn, and others were recently part of an investigation in part because their activities seemed harmful to their adherents. While they aren't TECHNICALLY outside the law (free "prayer shawl" with your "donation" of $xxx), it seems to me that they are really just running a business, and a fraudulent one at that.
11 Oct 2012, 9:24 am
