Tax All Church Income

September 29, 2008

Currently churches, mosques and synagogues are tax exempt so long as they meet specific IRS requirements including no politics. The reasoning is that churches do some good for society as a whole plus there is the separation of church and state issue.

There is no doubt that religion is big business. It generates income rivaling that of the very largest companies and yet churches do not pay anything to cover the costs of society supporting them such as police and fire. There is something un-American about a person or business that does not pay their fair share for the common good. We know intrinsically there is no free lunch but churches and their leaders think there is.

To make this more annoying, many church ministers have publicly chaffed over the politics restriction claiming it violates their right to free speech. No one is violating their individual right to free speech but when they speak as a minister about politics they break the law. Their “I'm a victim” stance does not wash. They confuse the rights of the individual with the rights of a a church. They are not the same. Churches do not have the right to play politics when they pay no income taxes.

Still more insidious in all this is that most churches still play politics, endorse candidates and vilify those they dislike and they do it as a normal course of their operations. The IRS cannot possibly investigate all of them because there are so many so law-breakers go unpunished.

To end the debate and whining, all churches and religions must be taxed. Let's make it 5% of their gross income. Individuals could still claim their church donations on their tax returns but their church must pay for services rendered.

The next step would be to tax the land they sit on.