Should we allow churches to be tax free?

[OddBeMe]

If they’re charities…great! But not just because they’re “spiritual”…

Yes they should be tax free

No they should not be tax free

Other

[Drewtate]

Churches provide services and charity to local communities paid for by local communities so any tax on churches would be just more taxes on working and middle class people in America who are already overtaxed as it is.

A good example is when 50 illegals landed in Martha's vineyard, when the Liberal elites told them there was no room at the inn in the thousands of vacant rooms and houses it was the church that took them in. Another example is that when the US government was bailing out the banks after the mess they created and citizens lost their jobs and the banks were taking their homes it was local churches that were on the front line making sure families could eat and had shelter, similar story with covid.

Most local churches are at the centre of the community picking up the pieces where government at local, state and federal level fails as they do very often with soup kitchens, shelters, schooling, youth organisations, clothes, food banks, care for the elderly, volunteers for disaster relief, ambulances, paramedics, sucide helplines, marraige counselling, AA, Drug addiction problems , even care for immigrants etc.

[DJB72]

First, Osteen is not a Christian. He's a charlatan.

To your question...

Churches are exempt from taxes because of what taxes are spent on. No Godly church supports Planned Parenthood's genocidal behaviour. Most tax is spent on military spending - again, something churches tend to not get involved with.

I'm not saying a pastor's income should be exempt. Or a Christian writer's or musician's. Personal tax is different from the tax on a corporate body.

If there was a way for guaranteeing any tax levied on churches would be used exclusively to house the homeless and give them healthcare, or the rehabilitation of released criminals into society after release, then that would be a reasonable tax - but most churches are involved with soup kitchens, prison outreach and more already.

[kylee2437]

Hahahaha people running churches would never get paid if people in churches weren’t “taxed” . Your tax is income for the staff.

[OddBeMe]

Charities pay execs. This would just require Joel osteen to do fucking charity work.

[Alex-Snow]

I think some of these mega churches and pastors who are millionaires have gone overboard. It is incredible how then can go tax free..

[NathanDavis]

they've never asked us... lol

[dustybiker2]

Absolutely not.

[dustybiker2]

Excerption from gov laws is archaic too.

[dustybiker2]

* exemption

[shortster]

Yes, but Joel is a pastor and not a church.

[OddBeMe]

Isn’t that who owns a church?

[shortster]

A pastor works for the church. And if he derives a salary from it; he is required to pay income tax on that salary.

[OddBeMe]

Not sure on that…nor what Joel’s IRS paperwork says. But ok.

[msc545]

Hell no, pun intended.