Should religious institutions be taxed?

[TheBeardedOne]

So should religious institutions be taxed like rest of soceity. Many places here in australia use business models to attrack the masses whilst making millions tax free.
They should be taxed like the rest of business.

[Kalis]

Only those parts of their income that are directly related to charity should be exempt, including a reasonable sum for administration of that charitable portion.

[Deleted]

Well here in Belgium, part of our tax money actually goes to the Catholic Church, even if you're not a catholic or anything. Priests etc. get payed by the government. So that should change yeah. I don't want a part of my money spend on a institution I don't give a shit about.

[Deleted]

Quick question? How do religious institutions make money? I can hardly believe they survive on donations alone, given the fact that over here its mostly old people going to church.

[TheBeardedOne]

Well here in Belgium, part of our tax money actually goes to the Catholic Church, even if you're not a catholic or anything. Priests etc. get payed by the government. So that should change yeah. I don't want a part of my money spend on a institution I don't give a shit about.

Yeah they pay chaplins here to poison childrens mind with one particular religion in government schools. Its a disgusting waste of taxpayers money

[Deleted]

Well here in Belgium, part of our tax money actually goes to the Catholic Church, even if you're not a catholic or anything. Priests etc. get payed by the government. So that should change yeah. I don't want a part of my money spend on a institution I don't give a shit about.

You mean that 0,02€ of your taxes? xD

[Deleted]

Quick question? How do religious institutions make money? I can hardly believe they survive on donations alone, given the fact that over here its mostly old people going to church.

Donations, property, investments, charitable endeavors, events, holidays, government funding in some cases and tax exemption.

Churches nowadays are often vastly profitable endeavors, and the catholic one specifically is known for extreme wealth for the higher priests and the comfort of which they reside in.

[TheBeardedOne]

Quick question? How do religious institutions make money? I can hardly believe they survive on donations alone, given the fact that over here its mostly old people going to church.

By charginhg they mass for been there. There is one mega church here that makes you give them at least 10% of your wage to them.

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You mean that 0,02€ of your taxes? xD

Is still wrong

[vetinari]

So should religious institutions be taxed like rest of soceity. Many places here in australia use business models to attrack the masses whilst making millions tax free.
They should be taxed like the rest of business.

So they should be taxed on their profit?

Guess what their profit is?

[Deleted]

You mean that 0,02€ of your taxes? xD

Obviously it's not a gigantic number, but EVERY taxpaying citizen pays this. You, me, immigrated muslims, jews, buddhists, hindoes, voodoos, atheists, pantheists, nihilists, ... everyone.

I rather give it to an actual charity.

[Deleted]

You mean that 0,02€ of your taxes? xD

If you earn E30,000 a year that's E600. Assuming it's 2% like you outlined.

Of course they should be, their charitable branch should be separate and untaxed. Go to the Vatican, they're not broke.

[schwarzkopf]

I think the solution is simple.

Give each religious institution a choice:

A: Be private (i.e. not open to government/public monitoring) - pay tax as full business.
B: Be public (i.e TOTALLY open to government/public monitoring) - pay very low rate of tax.

[Hellfo]

Well here in Belgium, part of our tax money actually goes to the Catholic Church, even if you're not a catholic or anything. Priests etc. get payed by the government.

The same happens in Italy, even though you are given the illusion of a choice between Church and State. The church doesn't even pay the taxes on properties, which is a big deal here, since it's full of them .

And I agree with Led++, being myself an atheist I don't see the point in supporting something that I do not use, not even remotely. I would prefer to be taxed for scientific research (the tax exist but it's not mandatory) or to support NGOs.

[TheBeardedOne]

So they should be taxed on their profit?

Guess what their profit is?

They are providing a service. So they should have good and services tax applied to them for every dollar anyone hands over to them

[Wayne25uk]

The tax man needs to die a very slow and painful death,as my parents say time and time again "You work 2 days for yourself and the other 5 for the tax man" its stupid!

[Deleted]

The tax man needs to die a very slow and painful death,as my parents say time and time again "You work 2 days for yourself and the other 5 for the tax man" its stupid!

Not really, you work till around April for taxes.

[Austilias]

It doesn't bother me to any great extent. I think if a Church or religious institution which puts its money primarily, if not entirely toward charitable causes, has probably earned the right to be exempt. Despite being an atheist, i'm honest enough to both see and admit that most churches tend to be a force for good in the world; irrespective of their religious beliefs.

The likes of Televangelists, however? They really should be taxed to hell and back; given that they are the most brazenly shameless con artists of the modern day.

[Sunseeker]

I believe they should be taxed. Or at least they should be much more rigorously evaluated.

[FuxieDK]

Tax them to death ;-)

[Deleted]

Churches are a part of European culture and to maintain them priests need money. I doubt that the incomes from mass can be enough.
But i still dont care, they should be taxed.