Should The Mormon Church Pay Taxes? (...
Find a Conversation
Should The Mormon Church Pay Taxes? (...
| Fri, 09-19-2008 - 12:56am |
Should The Mormon Church Pay Taxes? (See 1st post.)
- No. Don't tax them.
- Yes. Tax them.
You will be able to change your vote.

Pages
When I lived in HI this was actually one of the ballets that was passed around Relief Society. The ballet was an attempt
Also, to the question someone asked earlier about "double taxation" - remember, the money you give to churches is deductible to you, therefore, it's not being double-taxed - right now, it's not being taxed at all.
Did you perhaps intend to reply to a different post?
My church doesn't pass around ballots so I don't have a sense of what you mean.
I really have to ask "Why?"
If it is legal to deduct, and it reduces your taxes, why aren't you deducting it?
>The fact your organization's lawyers have decided to advise your organization not to take advantage of the "insubstantial" clause of the law vis a vis lobbying does not mean your organization does not have the same rights other non-profits have.<
The lawyers have advised this because they know exactly how closely non- and not-for-profit organizations are scrutinized for their political activity. I'm betting (though I don't know from experience) that AARP and Planned Parenthood follow similar legal advice, but Churches don't.
We have gone from:
>>If Churches wish to engage in the activity that other non-profits must create PACs in order to do, then Churches should be bound by the same laws as other non- and not-for-profit organizations.<<
>>But EVERY non- and not-for-profit organization that wishes to engage in political activity must create a PAC to fund that activity. This is not true of Churches. That I feel is wrong and creates a special classification for religion.<<
To looking at the actual law which does provide for EVERY non-profit to spend a "insubstantial" portion of its time and efforts in lobbying.
>You claimed that churches don't have to follow the same laws as other non-profits: you were wrong.<
Incorrect in the letter of the law, yes. Correct however in the enforcement of the law. Were our organization to not to take the very careful steps we've had to take, including not permitting our members to write a check to the parent organization that was intended for the PAC and vice versa (absolutely positively no co-mingling of funds), we would be subject to investigation. We've seen it happen to other organizations and do not want to be even accused of malfeasance.
Churches at present don't need to worry about that. They are given far more leeway in enforcement than other non- and not-for-profit organizations.
Yes, I'm aware the law as worded doesn't treat us any differently, but we know from all that happens around us that the enforcement of that law is a different story. And any time suggestions are made that such enforcement should scrutinize Churches as heavily as our organization and other organizations like us, we hear those same Churches accusing the government of interference.
We don't have an issue with fund co-mingling as we don't fund any political activity with church monies.
If it is legal to deduct, and it reduces your taxes, why aren't you deducting it?
Pages