TIL:
The yearly cost of religious tax exemptions is....

DRUMROLL PLEASE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t925JwYXhVA

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$71,000,000,000

Yes, that's right, 71 BILLION dollars.


I can honestly say, my mind is blown.

I'll think about this every time I pick up the Tesco's own brand of Spaghetti instead of the good stuff, because we all know the shitty economic climate we live in means I can't afford Heinz.

Information here:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyath...000000000/

Quote:While some people may be bothered by the fact that there are pastors who live in multimillion dollar homes, this is old news to most. But here is what should bother you about these expensive homes: You are helping to pay for them! You pay for them indirectly, the same way local, state, and federal governments in the United States subsidize religion — to the tune of about $71 billion every year.

So you think nonprofits should pay taxes? People in the church already pay taxes. You want their freely-pooled money split to the government a second time?

(August 30, 2012 at 9:19 pm)Undeceived Wrote: So you think nonprofits should pay taxes?

Let's make the distinction between churches and charities clear shall we.

Your churches only benefit you believers. They don't benefit me. Even then you don't need them.

Charities exist to help everyone, and provide a service that is needed. Your church doesn't.


If you're asking whether I think churches should get tax exemptions? Hell fucking no.

I also think it rather ironic that churches are labelled as 'non-profits'. Get a fucking clue.

Not only should they be taxed, but the rate should be as high as allows for a church's survival and physical maintenance, and that only to keep them afloat as sources of revenue.

So yeah, absolutely. Bleed 'em dry.

In Australia it was estimated that religious tax exemptions costed $500 million a year. While it is a lot of money, to put it into perspective upgrading all the railway level crossings in Melbourne (City of 4 million people) would cost $3 billion.

Also only a few religions could be seen as profit making organisations, the rest are no less non-profit organisations than any-other.

(August 30, 2012 at 9:19 pm)Undeceived Wrote: So you think nonprofits should pay taxes? People in the church already pay taxes. You want their freely-pooled money split to the government a second time?

The problem is what defines a nonprofit. I'll be honest, I don't see many secular charity organizations' members wearing gators and lizardskin shoes or finely-tailored suits all that much...and even the few that wear somewhat decent clothing often do so because of outside financing eg. their own personal income from another line of work. The problem is that a lot of heads of churches use the donated money for their own personal gain; megachurches come to mind. I've seen more than a few BMWs being driven by pastors who have no other line of work.

Of course, religion individuals will always claim that their faith is "necessary," and I will agree, in the same way that a meth-junky finds meth to be necessary.. It's only necessary in your mind but your life will continue just fine and in all likelihood will be better without it. It's a crutch, not unlike how a drug is a crutch, something to make you feel better, to fill a void that you can fill with far more productive things. If all the religious individuals in the world spent half the time they waste worshiping on something like actual charity work like directly feeding the homeless in their communities...or maybe working cooperatively on scientific pursuits in, say, agriculture, to find ways of growing crops more efficiently to minimize the costs of food further, to make it more affordable, or to grow fundamental crops in regions they cannot otherwise grow easily, or ways to easily provide water to regions that have no running water, or ways of getting people into space to carry out more research that can lead the way to greater technological breakthroughs, or working on cures for debilitating, currently incurable diseases.

If you guys spent half the time you WASTE praying instead on this stuff the entire world would be accelerating almost lightspeed-levels faster in development. But no. You will claim that your religions are essential as food and water, wasting your time, on fictitious claims, you will waste your time defending that which is fundamentally indefensible, you will fritter your precious limited lives away on begging a nonexistent deity to aid you when you could instead aid yourself and those around you.

*snorts*

(August 30, 2012 at 9:23 pm)Napoléon Wrote:

(August 30, 2012 at 9:19 pm)Undeceived Wrote: So you think nonprofits should pay taxes?

Let's make the distinction between churches and charities clear shall we.

Your churches only benefit you believers. They don't benefit me. Even then you don't need them.

Charities exist to help everyone, and provide a service that is needed. Your church doesn't.


If you're asking whether I think churches should get tax exemptions? Hell fucking no.

I also think it rather ironic that churches are labelled as 'non-profits'. Get a fucking clue.

A lot of churches (once they have the financial resources to do) at least in Australia provide charity, generally through their charity organisations. The Anglicans, Baptists, Salvation Army, Roman Catholic Church, along with many others have extensive social welfare organisations.

(August 30, 2012 at 9:43 pm)Justtristo Wrote: A lot of churches (once they have the financial resources to do) at least in Australia provide charity, generally through their charity organisations. The Anglicans, Baptists, Salvation Army, Roman Catholic Church, along with many others have extensive social welfare organisations.

But as Creed just pointed out, how much time and money are they actually wasting before they get to the actual helping and doing something worthwhile.


The answer you're looking for, is a lot.

Last I checked you don't need stained glass windows, a pulpit and big fuck off buildings to provide social welfare.

it's a disgrace.

I'm envisioning the howls of jesus freaks if any one ever proposed taxing the motherfuckers. It would make the auto da fe sound like a cub scout picnic.

(August 30, 2012 at 9:23 pm)Napoléon Wrote:

(August 30, 2012 at 9:19 pm)Undeceived Wrote: So you think nonprofits should pay taxes?

Let's make the distinction between churches and charities clear shall we.

Your churches only benefit you believers. They don't benefit me. Even then you don't need them.

Charities exist to help everyone, and provide a service that is needed. Your church doesn't.


If you're asking whether I think churches should get tax exemptions? Hell fucking no.

I also think it rather ironic that churches are labelled as 'non-profits'. Get a fucking clue.

Good job, hair plugs. Way to avoid the totality of his argument.

Taxes ought to be abolished period. Anyone crying about how the government doesn't have enough of our money to mismanage can freely pour more of their discretionary income into the state coffers. Given that we can't be entirely throw the government off our teat we need to first promote responsible government managing of funds before we demand more groups pay into their coffers, religious or not. I don't give a shit what religious groups do with their money. I'm more interested in our government doing things right.

GET IT RIGHT, B.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRmZ9zH-mYM