Tax Religious Groups

[The Mad Monk]

Just as an aside, I was treasurer at my chuch years ago, and they do pay payroll taxes.

[The Mad Monk]

My church is doing a really bad job of maximizing profit. The priest keeps urging us to give money to other causes.

Shh...you'll give it away.

[Wezil]

I bet they managed to squirrel a little away for some property of their own.

[The Mad Monk]

That only works for commercial properties, and they are already taxed normally.

[Wezil]

I doubt Elok attends services under a tent. I mentioned to Rah that property taxes would be a good way to go as that is one thing most in this industry have in common.

[The Mad Monk]

Property taxes are strictly local.

Do you want to be the local government that pushes to tax the local church?

[Wezil]

Not in the US. Hell no. They'd probably burn you at the stake.

It's a moot point here. Most churches are watching their elderly congregations die off before selling the property to pay outstanding legal settlements.

[The Mad Monk]

x-you'd:

More to the point, do you want to be the local government that seizes the local church for an inability to pay the tax?

[DaShi]

I do.

[Wezil]

I'd love to live in a former church.

[The Mad Monk]

...and yeah, die-off is killing a lot of the smaller ones.

[The Mad Monk]

Converted churches are out there.

[Wezil]

We're losing the big ones.

The muslims are doing well though.

Along with non-religious they are probably the fastest (and only) growing group.

[pchang]

The real key is to separate the profit making scams of churches vs. the real thing. Plenty of non-profits result in the enrichment of the people who run them. Those should have their non-profit status revoked and the organizations and people who run them taxed accordingly.

[loinburger]

Plenty of non-profits result in the enrichment of the people who run them. Those should have their non-profit status revoked and the organizations and people who run them taxed accordingly.

What do you mean by "enrichment"? On the one hand there are cases of obvious abuse where mega-church pastors funnel millions into their own pockets from gullible donors. However, the top executives at large legitimate non-profits draw large salaries, but they would draw equal or larger salaries at for-profit organizations of the same size, and their salaries are taxed.