That's what I was getting at, if it's a small church like the one you're talking about, make em pay 50 bucks a year... or even nothing. Those are just churchy churches, not grand stadiums with con men who fly their own private jets and bilk grandmothers out of their life savings for a plastic envelope of "holy water!" from "deh birf-playce of BayBay Jeebus!".
Is feeding the hungry the Word of GOD charitable? And who is the church? Buildings don't pay taxes...
No. But normal business expenses would be treated as with any other business.
The revenue collecting entity.
Property taxes.
How about hospitals? Have you ever received a bill for a visit to the Emergency Ward in this day and age?
Never.
Why not a separation of HOSPITAL and STATE ------ Mr., Canadian?
The rub with your solution is that the IRS identifies the advancement of religion as an exempt purposes in its language to determine whether or not an entity may or may not qualify for non-profit status. For this reason, churches are a default non-profit, not based on whether or not they report a net income but based on a quality as advancing their religion. In other words, churches non-profit status doesn't hinge on what they do with the revenue received as much as whether or not they exhibit the advancement of religion.
Are you for Taxing Churches?
This is 100% a hill I will die on, now I wonder, do you support this? I always assumed Democrats supported this but I've never heard Democrats talk about it, never a bill, never a mention by modern politicians. Do you support the Taxation of Churches?
Are you for Taxing Churches?
This is 100% a hill I will die on, now I wonder, do you support this? I always assumed Democrats supported this but I've never heard Democrats talk about it, never a bill, never a mention by modern politicians. Do you support the Taxation of Churches?
The rub with your solution is that the IRS identifies the advancement of religion as an exempt purposes in its language to determine whether or not an entity may or may not qualify for non-profit status. For this reason, churches are a default non-profit, not based on whether or not they report a net income but based on a quality as advancing their religion. In other words, churches non-profit status doesn't hinge on what they do with the revenue received as much as whether or not they exhibit the advancement of religion.
"The exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3) are charitable, religious, educational, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition, and preventing cruelty to children or animals. The term charitable is used in its generally accepted legal sense and includes relief of the poor, the distressed, or the underprivileged; advancement of religion; advancement of education or science; erecting or maintaining public buildings, monuments, or works; lessening the burdens of government; lessening neighborhood tensions; eliminating prejudice and discrimination; defending human and civil rights secured by law; and combating community deterioration and juvenile delinquency."
Exempt Purposes - Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) | Internal Revenue Service
Exempt Purposes - Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3)www.irs.gov
Depends.Are you for Taxing Churches?
This is 100% a hill I will die on, now I wonder, do you support this? I always assumed Democrats supported this but I've never heard Democrats talk about it, never a bill, never a mention by modern politicians. Do you support the Taxation of Churches?
Could be changed. But the IRS would need to re-think the basis on how all non-profits are initially accepted and the basis on their allowed continuation. Instead of a 501c being issued based on some exempted category, you're proposing we give the IRS the ability to disallow status on something as ambiguous as management abilities. I mean, we know it when we see it (some mega churches for sure), but how do we quantify it. That's the question. And BTW, there are some really, really garbage secular non-profits out there that don't get the attention that some of these mega-churches get.
Yeah, definitely not for that, anymore than I'm for eliminating "fostering national or international amateur sports competition" as a special category. In fact, there are no "special categories". There are only "purposes" that the general population agrees should has some value to our society, and in turn, should be exempt from Federal income tax.
It's pretty easy for an entity to not operate as a profit when they can direct revenues into executive payroll. Or profit sharing. Or land owned by the sister-in-law of a VP of the real estate that the entity works out of. Or a thousand other expenditures that enrich families that are attached to the non-profit in a thousand ways.
Have you ever visited anyone in the hospice care ward? They very much do. In fact, I've NEVER heard a doctor or nurse reject prayer for either themselves or a patient. Atheism is not popular with anyone dying, especially with it is a child.
