Is it time to start taxing churches and other religious organizations?

[Freeper]

You can guess which answer is winning.

arcadian  Donating Member  (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author  Click to view this author's profile  Click to add this author to your buddy list  Click to add this author to your Ignore list      Sat Jan-23-10 11:36 AM
Original message
Poll question: Is it time to start taxing churches and other religious organizations?
   

Poll result (22 votes)
Yes    (17 votes, 77%)   Vote
No   (5 votes, 23%)   Vote

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7553133

One problem with that DUmmy if we tax churches we will have to tax all your favorite non profit organizations too.

FormerDittoHead  Donating Member  (1000+ posts)  Journal  Click to send private message to this author  Click to view this author's profile  Click to add this author to your buddy list  Click to add this author to your Ignore list      Sat Jan-23-10 11:43 AM
Response to Original message
5. No, but political involvement should nullify their status.
   
IMO, I think that the elephant in the room are trusts and foundations.

Organizations such as the Cato and Heritage Institutes are somehow classified as 'educational' and donations are tax deductible as if giving to a charity constitute a higher abuse, IMO.

Does that include the black churches where democrats campaign?

dkf  Donating Member  (1000+ posts)  Journal  Click to send private message to this author  Click to view this author's profile  Click to add this author to your buddy list  Click to add this author to your Ignore list      Sat Jan-23-10 11:43 AM
Response to Original message
6. Are we proposing to get rid of tax exempt organization status?
   
Churches are non profit orgs. I don't see how you can target just them.

If you all ran the world you could tax them out of existence.

[USA4ME]

Go for it.  We'll get to watch the island have another crying session when even the Dems vote it down.

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[Freeper]

Go for it.  We'll get to watch the island have another crying session when even the Dems vote it down.

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The dems do not want to alienate the black voting block they have held on to for years.

[Celtic Rose]

A vast majority of African-Americans and Hispanics are religious.  Watch the Dems lose their support when all of a sudden their churches start being taxed.  Churches do a huge amount of good in their neighborhoods, and around the world.  A vast number of charitable organizations are founded on religious principles as well.  Will they also lose their tax-exempt status.

By the way, churches still pay pay-roll taxes and sales tax.  It is only donations that they are not taxed.

on edit:  I have removed Property Tax. It seems that I was wrong about that.  Mea Culpa.

[USA4ME]

..... and I'm pretty sure they also pay property taxes.

Probably depends on the State.  Here in NC, they don't pay property taxes.

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[Celtic Rose]

Probably depends on the State.  Here in NC, they don't pay property taxes.

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I may be wrong on that actually, I just looked it up, it looks like church property is exempt in California as well.  Good to know. 

[The Village Idiot]

We can also tax Harvard and Yale endowments, The Ford Foundation, ACLU and other non-profits.

[BlueStateSaint]

Probably depends on the State.  Here in NC, they don't pay property taxes.

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Same in NY.  They're under property Roll Section 8--Wholly Exempt from property taxes.

[Freeper]

Same in NY.  They're under property Roll Section 8--Wholly Exempt from property taxes.

You mean Holy exempted. 

[GOBUCKS]

I have never heard of churches paying property taxes in any state.