Speaking of closing loopholes: Religious Tax Exemptions cost US $71,000,000,000

[healthpellets]

That's an estimated $71B every year that could be used on all sorts of fun things like healthcare, teacher salaries, roads, etc.

Has the time come to reexamine the necessity of religious tax exemptions?

The original study: http://www.secularhumanism.org/index...ge=cragun_32_4

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendl...s-71000000000/

We know churches get tax exemptions, but how much money does that actually come out to?

University of Tampa professor Ryan T. Cragun along with students Stephanie Yeager and Desmond Vega ran some calculations and figured out a number:

So… chump change.

Their article (with a defense of how they calculated the amount) appears in the June/July 2012 issue of Free Inquiry.

The researchers already know what they’ll get criticized for:

Cue reporter Kimberly Winston‘s article in which she interviews a critic of this finding:

Right… because church leaders never use the pulpit to oppose civil rights for gay Americans, or speak out against affordable/accessible health-care for women, or use the extra money to buy themselves a larger house because Jesus wants them to be prosperous…

The researchers also ran a few other calculations:

Given the current political scene, none of this is going to change anytime soon. Religious groups have far too much power in Washington and they’re not about to ask the government to remove their special privileges. But we can keep the pressure on.

Even if these calculations are proven to be off, the principle isn’t going to change: Religion is a business, churches get tax breaks they don’t really deserve, and we’d all be better off if they paid their fair share.

[cosmo20002]

Originally Posted by AustinChief

OMG.. LOOK COSMO! Here is an OBJECTIVE standard applied. If a charity spends too much of its time in politics, then strip them of tax exempt status. Doesn't matter if this is right or wrong.. at least it's not bigoted.

You've got to be kidding. My standard of no churches isn't objective? But a standard of "too much time in politics" is objective? That's pretty much what we have now, and how the hell is that judged? Basically, it is ignored.

It is like the freaking Twilight Zone in here today.

[cosmo20002]

Originally Posted by scott free

There was a time when i wasnt so sure cosmo deserved his bad rep.

Boy was i wrong.

Because I don't think churches should be tax exempt? This is really so controversial?

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by cosmo20002

You've got to be kidding. My standard of no churches isn't objective? But a standard of "too much time in politics" is objective? That's pretty much what we have now, and how the hell is that judged? Basically, it is ignored.

It is like the freaking Twilight Zone in here today.

You really are clueless. Your standard of "no churches because they are religious" is NOT an objective standard. It is based solely on your hatred of religion. His standard (yes, the current standard) applies to all charities regardless of if they are black, white, gay, religious or green.

You don't seem to get the fact that a charity that teaches something "religious" is NO DIFFERENT then a charity that teaches literacy or how to recycle. The only difference is that you don't like religion and you want to "punish" them by stripping them of tax exempt status. You made the claim earlier that it was different because they just teach "unverifiable stories"... so who exactly gets to decide which stories are verifiable and would you apply that "standard" to any charity that teaches something unverifiable? What? No?

yeah, you pretty much showed your ass on this one... You are a religious bigot. You singled them out because you don't like them and think they have no merit. The ONLY differentiating factor offered up by YOU is that they are religious.

You may as well decide you don't like gays and say that any charity that teaches about the gay lifestyle should be stripped of tax exempt status.

If someone proposed that gay charities should NOT be tax exempt because they teach about the gay lifestyle... would you not think they were a bigot?

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by cosmo20002

Because I don't think churches should be tax exempt? This is really so controversial?

It's not controversial.. your point of view is just mired in ignorance and comes from NO logical standpoint. You're completely blind to the vast hypocrisy you are espousing.

[Mr. Kotter]

Originally Posted by AustinChief

It's not controversial.. your point of view is just mired in ignorance and comes from NO logical standpoint. You're completely blind to the vast hypocrisy you are espousing.

Hey, Kyle...

In an era, where folks would rather spend $$$ hundreds at the local casino or on Lottery tickets, but point-blank REFUSE to spend $20-30 per month on local property taxes to pay for a local school district "opt-outs" so they can try to "catch-up" to 49th or 48th in teacher-pay in the NATION...I'd suggest it's folks like you, who are truly blind to the "vast hyposcrisy" you are espousing...

Because many, or even MOST, of those "church-going" folks are very SAME folks who insist on tax-exemptions for their "Church"....but won't pay a dime more in real estate taxes, if it means less money to spend at the Casino of their choice...

I'm just sayin'.....and it's 100% truth; at least in my F'd-up f-ing state. Ya know?

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by Mr. Kotter

Hey, Kyle...

In an era, where folks would rather spend $$$ hundreds at the local casino or on Lottery tickets, but point-blank REFUSE to spend $20-30 per month on local property taxes to pay for a local school district "opt-outs" so they can try to "catch-up" to 49th or 48th in teacher-pay in the NATION...I'd suggest it's folks like you, who are truly blind to the "vast hyposcrisy" you are espousing...

Because many, or even MOST, of those "church-going" folks are very SAME folks who insist on tax-exemptions for their "Church"....but won't pay a dime more in real estate taxes, if it means less money to spend at the Casino of their choice...

I'm just sayin'.....and it's 100% truth; at least in my F'd-up f-ing state. Ya know?

Not sure how you equate that to me? I have never railed against property taxes for schools. Nor am I railing against stripping ALL charities of tax-exempt status if that is called for. OR just stripping certain charities if they fit certain sensible objective criteria.

I am simply pointing out that an attempt to strip churches simply because they are religious is an ignorant bigoted view.

So please tell ME how I'M being a hypocrite?

You may want to go back and read ALL of my posts in this thread instead of jumping in midstream and going off half-cocked. Because nothing you are saying in your last post makes sense.

[stevieray]

Originally Posted by Mr. Kotter

Hey, Kyle...
those "church-going" folks

and there it is.

[stevieray]

Originally Posted by Dave Lane

Id be all over it and the guy i've said that doesn't exist eleventy billion times would to.

Give unto Caesar what is Caesar's.

what's the rest of the verse, flaming hypo?

[blaise]

Originally Posted by cosmo20002

I don't understand why you and many others on here cannot see the difference between running a charity/giving to a charity and running a church. By charity, I mean things like food/clothes/shelter for the poor, hungry, elderly, sick; school supplies for poor kids, etc. Its a wide net, but its fairly clear.

A church exists to support and promote the religious beliefs of the congregation. Can a church be involved in charity? Sure, and many are. But by and large, it is in the form of getting members to volunteer, or holding a food drive or a clothing drive. For comparison, my private, non-religion-based employer does the same thing. The church IS NOT SPENDING MONEY ON THESE CHARITABLE CAUSES. The money churches bring in go to running the church and/or promoting the religion.

Running the church involves setting up charitable programs that members participate in. The way you keep acting like the extent of church charity is holding food drives, and that most churches routinely engage in electioneering make you sound either ignorant or bigoted.
Charitable organizations aren't charities because they turn just turn around and give the money to someone else. Charities normally use their funds to allow members of the organization to help others. Churches use funds for that. Of course they have overhead, just like any charity. You just seem to be saying a charity isn't allowed to have any religious message associated with it, and that's what makes you seem like you just hate religion. It does come across as a form of bigotry.

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by Literature

"God damn America!" said by angry black guy = bad

'God is sending tornadoes and hurricanes to kill people because of homosexuality and liberalism' said by Republican evangelical = understandable

Makes sense.

Not to me. Both seem bad to me, but maybe you can convince me. As billay would say, go.

[HonestChieffan]

Originally Posted by Mr. Kotter

Hey, Kyle...

In an era, where folks would rather spend $$$ hundreds at the local casino or on Lottery tickets, but point-blank REFUSE to spend $20-30 per month on local property taxes to pay for a local school district "opt-outs" so they can try to "catch-up" to 49th or 48th in teacher-pay in the NATION...I'd suggest it's folks like you, who are truly blind to the "vast hyposcrisy" you are espousing...

Because many, or even MOST, of those "church-going" folks are very SAME folks who insist on tax-exemptions for their "Church"....but won't pay a dime more in real estate taxes, if it means less money to spend at the Casino of their choice...

I'm just sayin'.....and it's 100% truth; at least in my F'd-up f-ing state. Ya know?

Church Going folk just hate schools. Church going folk like to gamble and spend time in dark places. Need to rally the non church folk and win the game.

Or maybe church going has zero to do with anything related to how they vote on a given issue.

Stay stupid Kotter.

[LOCOChief]

Get a job you ****ing libs and stop trying to figure out how to take more from everyone else. YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED, you lazy worthless assholes.

KC native: How can I get some of that church's money to pay for my semi annual abortions? Afterall I'm an athiest, I'm entitled.

cosmo: I hear there's cash in those church's. All they do is tell you who is going to hell and who isn't. I already know I'm going to hell so give me some cash I'm entitled.

[LOCOChief]

Oh that's right I forgot the freeloading wagon riding bitch know as Kotter

kotter: Those church folks gamble all their money away in casino's instead of paying my R/E taxes. I don't gamble, pay my R/E taxes I'm entitled.

[blaise]

It's just kid of funny. I'm guessing half these people have no idea what goes on in most churches. They believe the stuff they see in movies, or clips of the most extreme church goers and just figure it's ok to condemn them all.
There was a couple at our church last week who run an after school program for inner city youth in Dallas. They have this little building where 25-30 kids go after school so they can get homework help and food, and they get some food to bring home. These are kids who have nothing, really. The couple that ran this don't make money on it, they do it because they care and no one else does. Our church gives them some of their money. But then you get jackwipes like cosmo who like to pretend church is just some pastor standing up in front of a room and yelling about abortion and birth control, even though you never hear a sermon like that at 90% of churches.
It really just reminds me of people who see stories about some black guy committing a crime and figuring it's ok to just say all blacks are criminals. I don't see much difference.

[KC native]

I can deal with tax exempt status for everything but property taxes. The fact that so many churches sit on prime real estate but pay no taxes is bullshit.

Everything else should stay the same.