They <i>are</i> taxed, as W2 employees. In fact, they pay <i>more</i> tax than other people, because in addition to full income tax, they pay <i>double</i> SS tax. Look it up.
Precisely. I suspect the loudest objectors are those men of god with the nicest cars and fanciest clothes.
Idiotic idea. Churches and charities help the poor at a tiny fraction of wasteful welfare programs. It's not as if a few televangelists are a representative sample.
most churches only give out about 10% to charity work and even that is somehow related to gaining new converts. most of the money is eaten up maintaining fancy buildings and salaries.
Salaries of church employees -- pastors, organists, clerical staff -- <i>are</i> taxed, quite heavily -- as I mentioned before. Some slow learners on this thread.
They don't want to learn. Plain and simple. Most so-called "free thinkers" are anything but. And anyway you slice it, charity programs run by churches have nowhere near the waste and overhead of their government-run counterparts. Oh, and church (and other private) schools educate kids for a fraction of gov't schools and do a better job to boot. Instead of raising taxes on anyone, cut waste and programs at the gov't level. What a novel idea.
No you despise religion for a host of other reasons!!!!!! Maybe what you really despise is the way you are living. : )
And tax charities too, the biggest scammers. 90% of proceeds go to administration. Greenscam, PETA, Oxfam. Tax politicians for campaign money, even better.
i was responding to the charitable work claim about churches. the truth is if secular charities operated with the same 90% overhead ratio as church charities they would be shut down for fraud.