Should Churches Be Exempt From Taxation
( Last Modified on 21 Aug 2010 00:43 )

The correct short answer is no, at least not in America where we still have at least some Freedom of Religion.

In a country where there is to be a separation of Church and State, each and every Church should pay taxes just like any other business or individual.

Making it so a Church does not have to pay taxes is a case of government favoring and supporting a religion, even if all Religions are granted tax-exempt status.

When churches are exempt from paying taxes all the other people are punished by having to pay more in taxes to enable the church to get government services without paying for them.  There is no free lunch so someone has to pay the piper.

This is very unfair especially to those with no religious affiliation.  Why should an atheist have to pay more money in taxes so that a church, which he does not believe in, can be tax free?

Churches should pay the same rate of taxation as everyone else.  They should do this on all three levels of government. This should lower the payments that the rest of the people and businesses have to pay to support the various governments.  Of course our politicians would probably just take these additional taxes and spend them on something else that we do not need or want, just like the do with most of our tax dollars now.

Churches are just like other businesses in that they are in competition with each other to collect as much money as they can.  Granted some money collected by churches is used to help those in need, but for the most part the money is usually spent on salaries and on upgrading their Houses of God. Some money may be spent on missionary work usually in some country where the people there do not want to convert to any Revealed Religion, which will in all probability provide not one bit of help to the local community that had to pay extra taxes to support the local tax-exempt Church.  This is unfair

Does God really need so many expensive homes?

If churches had to pay yearly property taxes like everyone else they probably would not spend so much money on huge elaborate structures.  A wealthy person with a million dollar home may have to pay property taxes of $500.00 per week but the million dollar church pays nothing in property taxes.  If a church knew that it would need to pay $500 per week in property taxes on a million dollar church the church may decide they can use a less elaborate building that only cost say 25% as much.  They could then use the money saved on the building to help the needy, or the leaders of the church could simply use that extra money to buy a newer more luxurious home, car, boat, airplane or mistress.