Churches, synagogues, mosques should pay taxes
I would like to bring up for discussion the tax-free status of churches, synagogues and mosques. These religious organizations have access to all the public services that we homeowners do, but at no charge. If they paid their fair share, the homeowners’ share could decrease. It would be only fair.
Elizabeth R. Johnson
Indianapolis
Hmm. Members of these organizations do pay property and income taxes. And the organizations themselves give back to the community in intangible ways. They’re called “not for profit” for a reason. I suppose once you start taxing religious properties that you’ll want to start taxing other NFPs as well.
The fact is that you’d never make as much taxing the NFPs as you would forcing the mayor to stop giving away 10-year tax abatements worth tens of millions of dollars just to bring a few jobs to town…or as much as we could have saved by stopping the 2-billion dollar boondoggle of a stadium-convention center expansion that our children’s children are probably still going to be paying for. (Well — heh — your children…I don’t have any.)
The idea here is that government should CUT wasteful spending…not INCREASE already-onerous taxation.
Or to put it another way — get your God-damned hand out of my pocket, bitch. And since I assume you’re not a member of congregation of faith, you might want to join one to see exactly why it shouldn’t be taxed — not because it’s a church-state issue, but because in general, religious congregations (and religiously-based organizations) enhance their communities rather than take from them.
Yep, we’re gonna have to disagree here a bit.
Unfortunately, far too many religious organizations out there are in it purely for the profit, while under the guise of religious freedom.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m thinking of nailing the dirtbags in the group, not the good ones.
You remember the PTL with Jim and Tammy Faye Baker? The Catholic church is the largest pyramid scam ever conceived.
Those types are the one’s I’d tax in a heartbeat.
“get your hand out of my pocket” This is not about taxes. This is about the death cults. This is about the bitch in question wanting to get rid of worship in the only way bitches like that know how: Using the tyranny of gummint to force them from existence. You want lower taxes? vote out the mothers that crank them upo to pay for higher and higher gummint waste.
Oh, and thanks for fixing it so I can comment
No prob, Og.
I’ll agree for the sake of argument that “cults” like the Church of Scientology should be seen as taxable businesses rather than tax-exempt religions, but given that I don’t have Tom Cruise on my side, I’m only a small voice in the wilderness on that.
What I don’t think is reasonable and what this woman apparently does think is reasonable is levying property taxes on every little country church in the state. What she doesn’t realize (or possibly does realize) is the danger that would put other not-for-profit groups in. For instance, consider our Jewish Community Center, which despite its name is a United Way affiliate and whose doors are open to all (there are even membership provisions for people who can’t pay full price). Or consider the 430-odd Masonic Lodges in Indiana, or the American Legion, or the VFW.
If you open the floodgates a crack to tax religious properties, it’s only a matter of time till the gates are thrown wide for all NFPs to pay them as well.
Bottom line, It’s a really dumb idea that in execution would simply complete the government takeover of private charity and relief that was started under FDR. Which is exactly what our mayor and council want — everyone dependent on them for handouts.