DiscussMormonism.com

TrashcanMan79 wrote:

keene wrote:It's a charity, not a religion.

But is it tax exempt? I thought that's what the Dude was asking....

I know that many secular charities have tax exempt status and I understand they have to jump through regular hoops and open their books to regulators in order to maintain that status. The bar is lower for religions. Nobody looks at the LDS accounts, for example. So I was wondering if there are any groups that are simply atheists, or secular humanists maybe, that achieve tax exempt status in the same way religions do. They would abstain from politics. Their claim would be something like that of religions, you know, recieving donations and providing for the spiritual welfare of their members. 'Cause even atheists have spiritual needs... right?

And welcome to the board TrashcanMan! I always enjoyed your posts over on MAD -- especially that spectrum of belief poll you started a while back.

The Dude wrote:I know that many secular charities have tax exempt status and I understand they have to jump through regular hoops and open their books to regulators in order to maintain that status. The bar is lower for religions. Nobody looks at the LDS accounts, for example.

In a perfect world, this would happen. And the old song would definitely be heard: nobody knows the trouble I've seen!

The Dude wrote:Religious types are always telling us that atheism is just another religion with its own set of faith-based beliefs. LOL...
So does anyone know of any atheist group that has tax exempt status in the US? Every religion has it, even the Scientologists manage to swing it from time to time. So what about the atheists?

Just wondering.

I do not know of any but you do not have the be a religion to get tax exempt status. There are many types of organizations that qualify for tax exempt status.

I think to be tax exempt you should read zero on your books on 12/31 of each year. If you have money you distribute it or you give up your status and you are now taxed for the next year. Ten percent of your intake.

The Dude wrote:And welcome to the board TrashcanMan! I always enjoyed your posts over on MAD -- especially that spectrum of belief poll you started a while back.

Thanks, Dude. I get a kick out of your posts as well.

Jason Bourne wrote:

The Dude wrote:Religious types are always telling us that atheism is just another religion with its own set of faith-based beliefs. LOL...
So does anyone know of any atheist group that has tax exempt status in the US? Every religion has it, even the Scientologists manage to swing it from time to time. So what about the atheists?

Just wondering.

I do not know of any but you do not have the be a religion to get tax exempt status. There are many types of organizations that qualify for tax exempt status.

Mormoncorp for one.

I want to know why religions are tax exempt in the first place. Why is the public/government subsidizing religion?

Who Knows wrote:I want to know why religions are tax exempt in the first place. Why is the public/government subsidizing religion?

Well it could be looked upon as subsidizing or it could be looked upon as not restricting the religion.

barrelomonkeys wrote:

Who Knows wrote:I want to know why religions are tax exempt in the first place. Why is the public/government subsidizing religion?

Well it could be looked upon as subsidizing or it could be looked upon as not restricting the religion.

We (the people/government) already restrict religions. They can't do whatever they want. They have to obey the law. So how is giving them a free ride on all of their real estate holdings any different?

Can I invent a religion, call my home the church, and then be tax exempt?

Just think of the billions of dollars in lost tax revenue we should have in the public's hands.

Who Knows wrote:I want to know why religions are tax exempt in the first place. Why is the public/government subsidizing religion?

It's an exemption not a subsidy. They do it because Church's are an aid to communities. That is why many independent social programs and charities are also tax-exempt. You can't declare your home a religion but if you want to create some organization to aid your community go for it. I'd support a tax-exemption.