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This is actually really cool. Cooler if maybe they can pay taxes next!
Would you want a food bank to pay taxes?
This is a post about churches.
I know. They are also functioning as a food bank. They are a non-profit acting in a charitable manner.
Do ypu think they should engage in less charity so they can pay taxes?
Yes, they should not pay takes for money they can justify they used for charity.
Building mega-churches, having expensive cars and jets is not charity.
I dunno about other churches but I'm pretty sure the one I grew up in gave away donated food. Paying taxes wouldn't impact that at all.
They do other charitable work that isn’t handing out donated food. There is of course expenses associated with storing and giving out that food as well.
You'll be furious to know that the workers are almost entirely volunteers as well. The cost to the church directly is negligible. And I'm still sure whatever other charitable work they do would not be significantly impacted by paying taxes. If anything, the money generated could do infinitely more good in expanding welfare programs. Charity is a band aid, not a solution.
My mom ran one for over a decade. You might be surprised to find out your assertions are not correct in my experience as the people running food banks are in fact paid.
The US social net was built around religious charity and it is sophomoric to presume the state would utilize increased tax revenue to replace what was lost.
If they operated full time as a food bank and didn't proselytize to the people they are helping, then they shouldn't pay taxes. If they preach and try to convert people to their religion during their service, then I'm going to bet they try to do that to the people they feed. Preying upon people in their weakest moments is not a good thing to do, but it's all I've ever seen Christians do
Edit: "Marianists emphasized the power of small communities to “renew Christianity” following the French Revolution." If this is their emphasis, then they should definitely be paying taxes.
We wouldn't need that much charity if they paid their fucking taxes
That’s simply not true. There isn’t enough money being made by religious organizations for that to be the case, and the tax exempt status of religious organizations is not connected to how poorly the working classes are faring.
I'm pretty sure that Jesus guy that christianity is so famous for was doing it all for free.
I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. Churches should pay taxes that's all. Don't complicate it. Why would paying taxes force them to engage in less charity? Are you saying they're incapable of doing both?
The whole basis of the no taxing thing was because of the charity. I'm fine with small churches who do a lot of good for their community being exempt, the problem are the mega churches who make mountains of money and do nothing good with it.
I'm not. They can register as a tax-exempt charity and do the paperwork like all the other tax-exempt charities.
Well if a church is doing so much charity that it offsets their profits then it won't be a problem.
These taxes can be used to support food banks. So the church would receive subsidies.
Tax and transfers. Income inequality is 0,26 in my country and 0,41 in yours. Even china is down to 0,35.
Charity doesn't seem to work. Taxes do work.
I don't need to feel good about doing something nice for someone else. I just pay taxes and the person doing something nice gets paid to do it.
Then they can file like every other nonprotand prove it through their finances, instead of the idiotic rubber stamp they get - including those megachurch abominations that drive lambos onto the stage of their sermons and own multiple private jets.
Yes! They can deduct anything they donate from their taxes!
So you want fewer groups doing charitable work? Who do you think is picking up that slack since progressive candidates have not traditionally suggested creating new ones that aren’t religious?
If they are doing as much charity work as they claim they are, then there’s no issue, since it will all be deductible.
No harm, no foul. Only hurts the liars and the cheats. Win, win.
I would like a for-profit organisation that is occasionally gives food on their conditions to pay taxes.
Maybe start paying taxes, on that and all other land they've confiscated.
Churches aren't tax free because they are churches, they are tax free bc they are charities, just like every other charity out there
Frustrating af that hardly any of you understand this.
You're the one who's wrong here. All other 501c3 nonprofits have to show their books and prove it. Churches get a rubber stamp.
Stop spreading this lie of yours
That’s just wrong. Churches are tax free because they are churches.
Don’t believe me? Go look up a church’s 990… oh, wait… you can’t. Because they don’t have to file them because they are “special” in the eyes of the law. Not just a run of the mill charity.
That's so awesome!:-)