Obscure topic possibly impinging on BSA

[sheldonsmom]

The "Church building" does not pay taxes but the congregation does. Every member of our church pays taxes, including the pastor, his wife, the youth minister, EVERYONE. Do nursing homes pay taxes? schools? orphanages? hospitals? Do they get a free ride? or tax money? In the listed cases, here at least, they do not pay taxes, receive all services AND our tax dollars.

[OldGreyEagle]

One could make the case that a church enhances the community. because of the prescence of a catholic church, catholics will buy proprty and settle in the community and therefore pay taxes. Remove the church or make it so the chuch must pay taxes and perhaps the church closes and without the church, the catholics move on to other areas and the community is lessened

 

Its a thought

[GernBlansten]

Churches often occupy prime, high traffic real estate. The tax revenue lost by not having a Piggly Wiggly there is significant. I ain't saying we should bulldoze them, but they do get a free ride.

[sheldonsmom]

I guess it doesn't matter that they often run food pantries, shelters, voting places, meeting halls for any number of "outside" activities. "They don't pay their fair share"

[BadenP]

Wow the world must be about to end, this is the first time I agree with Gern on a topic. Churches do get a free ride and with their constant interference with politics trying to persuade their congregations how to vote it is time that they lose their tax exempt status. There was a reason our founders wanted to keep church and state seperate and the fact is that pastors now go out of their way to breech that seperation. When I see Catholic bishops and cardinals with palacial estates, and the obscene amount of wealth in the Vatican, and then hear them preach and admonish their congregations about the poor in the world going hungry it smacks of pure hypocrisy. It is time that they share the wealth.

[perdidochas]

Gern,

 

The Scout office and the Red Cross office also get that "free ride" as do all non-profits.

[perdidochas]

Badenp,

 

the following is what the Founders put in the Constitution:

 

"no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States. "

 

and

"Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;"

 

Neither of those can be easily construed as to not allow a preacher freedom of speech on any subject, including politics.

 

 

 

 

[Merlyn_LeRoy]

Preachers can comment on anything, including politics. If they own a church and want to meet the requirements for tax-exemption, they can't e.g. endorse a political candidate. They can if they forgo the tax exemption. Free speech is a right, but tax exemption isn't.

[GernBlansten]

Yup. But the BSA office doesn't occupy high tax potential real estate, at least in my council. And their ain't several BSA offices per square mile.

In our current financial crisis, shouldn't we be looking at all potential revenue streams to offset service costs?

[evmori]

Yup! Us taxpaying citizens of the USA are footing the bill for houses of worship & other non-profits! We also subsidize illegal aliens! I would rather subsidize houses of worship & non-profits!