Tax the Churches!!

[Playinghardball]

[ladjf]

1. They should not only pay taxes, they should be required to make public that they are

selling partisan material.

[txdemsftw]

2. God...

I WISH!!!!!!!!

Then maybe I wouldn't see a 'mega' church on every other street corner around here looking more like a 5-star hotel than any church I was forced to attend as a kid.

[southernyankeebelle]

3. I know in Germany the citizens have to pay a church tax. That means that their

churchs can't ask for money. You can asked to be exempt.

[BlueJazz]

4. I'd be for it with the exception of very small country churches that truly have little or no money.

Those types of churches are more gathering places than "going to hell" joints.

[porphyrian]

5. Amen. If they want to be charities, they can file like everyone else. n/t

[Doodler71]

6. Yes, tax the churches, then the churches would

pass along the financial burden to their flock through required increases in tithing. The financial burden of more required tithing would then increase the number of people leaving organized religion and their church. Thus the church would lose financial strength and no longer be of any interest to Republican candidates.

Win/Win

[standingtall]

7. I will not paint every Church with a broad brush

and say every church should be taxed, but the one who engage in political activities. Should be tax, and if those Churches shall pass the burden on to their members good. Maybe they will decide to go out, and find a real Church.

[Booster]

8. Better yet, fine them a monumental amount when they engage in politics. Bet they do it only once.

[truebluegreen]

9. Tax them all.

The ones that actually do charity work should get deductions for that. I'm OK with small churches without an agenda--some kind of application process may be needed.

The ones that are just businesses (Mormon Church I'm looking at YOU) should be taxed.

And of course we need to clean up the tax code so that Big Business actually pays their share.

[Xolodno]

10. Church I belong to actually is taxed....

...for the very reason that it doesn't want to be beholden to non-profit regulations. If churches want to play in the realm outside of non-profit regulations, then they should suck it up and pay the piper.