Is the watchtower in the red or planning for something ?

by 5go 43 Replies latest watchtower scandals

• 

  5go

  James, it's time to learn.
  If a new tax is minor, and people just pay it, the government has gotten away with establishing a new tax.
  When the government needs money, they will raise the tax. They do this with cigarettes, road tolls,
  vehicle stickers, licenses, permits, etc.

  In Chicago, there is a take-out tax on junk food. It's about 0.5 %. No big deal so people pay it. On your
  own lunch, it usually works out to 3 to 6 cents, why argue? The problem is that the city has now established
  a tax that nobody argued about. When the budget falls short, they will raise it to 0.75% and more in the
  future.

  The time to fight a tax (or avoid a tax) is at the establishment-point. If you just pay it, then the law will be on
  their side. I am all in favor of taxing the WTS, but I understand the principle of avoiding taxes that you don't
  think you should pay.

  By the way, I am not tackling any windmills, myself. As a fading JW, I don't go protesting taxes, but I would
  if I were never involved in this whacko cult.

  I am sorry this is a bad example do you see mc donald going to a donation arangement over a tax. This wasn't a new tax this was an old sales tax that was being applied unfairly, certain bussinesses were allowed to get away with not paying it if the said the were a involed with a religion. Hence the WBTS needed to avoid looking like a bussiness and more like a religion, or face paying income tax as well.
• 

  zack

  The WTS is definitely planning for something.
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  this is a bad example. do you see mc donald going to a donation arangement over a tax.
  This wasn't a new tax, this was an old sales tax that was being applied unfairly

  This was a brand new take-out tax, not an old sales tax. The excuse was to clean the
  city of the refuse created by taking food out of the restaurant.

  The example is of a corporation with a product deciding to pass on the cost to
  customers. They don't fight it, because the customer will pay it, not them. They could
  fight it, because it will raise the cost of a hamburger. They ignore it because it is small. It
  won't stay small forever, though.

  WTS is a corporation that decided that the tax passed on to customers is significant. If they
  pass on the cost of the tax, less people will buy the product. WE DON' T WANT WT LITERATURE
  AS MUCH AS WE WANT HAMBURGERS. Besides, the tax started kind of high.
  Better fight this tax right from the start.

  McDonald's can't claim religious exemption, but they could have fought on many other grounds.
  Some cities have similar taxes or laws against take-out food. McDonalds has fought it in various ways.
  They say "We have no take-out food. We give you the food on a tray, and we give you a bag for your
  leftovers. If you choose to put all the food in the bag, and walk out, that's your decision." That is a
  true story from Lake Forest, IL. In Chicago, they chose not to fight the small tax. WTS decided to fight
  the not-so-small tax from the start.
• 

  Elsewhere

  Adding to Blondies post I have to say that I can't understand why they ever got rid of the donation arrangement the way they had it. I know they didn't want to pay those taxes, but why not just simply raise the price of the literature to compensate?

  Simply put: To prevent a massive tax nightmare and loads of very very bad publicity in the news.

  I'll explain.... The WTS currently says that, legally, Jehover’s Witnesses are not in any way affiliated with or subordinate to the WTS. This means that when each individual JW goes door-to-door selling the publications that JW is acting on his own and is operating his own private business. This in turn means that every single individual JW will be required to legally open a business, get a business tax ID, maintain an accounting ledger and file taxes quarterly at the county, state and federal levels.

  Now, imagine millions of JWs going around screwing up this process and being audited over and over again. I guarantee you it will result in a nightmare of bad publicity for the WTS.

  On top of that, this business process will force JWs to stop and think: “Hey, wait a minute… I thought this was Jehover’s preaching work, not a business venture.” Once that little light starts going on in all of the JWs heads they will start to wake up and realize that they’ve been conned.
• 

  jayhawk1

  Wow elsewhere, you could have nailed the exact reason.

  The WTS currently says that, legally, Jehover’s Witnesses are not in any way affiliated with or subordinate to the WTS. This means that when each individual JW goes door-to-door selling the publications that JW is acting on his own and is operating his own private business. This in turn means that every single individual JW will be required to legally open a business, get a business tax ID, maintain an accounting ledger and file taxes quarterly at the county, state and federal levels

  So why doesn't the Watchtower legally affiliate with Jehovah's Witnesses? Aren't they bound to "God's Orginization" upon baptism? Looks like this is a street that only goes one way.
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  I like elsewhere's answer. Also-

  So why doesn't the Watchtower legally affiliate with Jehovah's Witnesses?

  They want to avoid accountability. Lawsuits for r&f actions. Employee claims
  against them. Lawsuits from their doctrines.

  Lawsuits for r&f actions- something done in field service as a representative of WTS.
  The householder sues THEM for your stepping on their dog or causing Grandma to have a
  heart attack.

  Employee Claims- I was hurt while conducting WTS business- selling mags.

  Lawsuits from their doctrines- I was shunned by their affiliates, my mother was told
  by them not to take blood.
• 

  jayhawk1

  OnTheWayOut,

  Yes, that would open up a hornet's nest of trouble.

  So if Jehovah's Witness aren't legally subordinate to Watchtower, how is it Watchtower can get away with telling the JW what to think and do? Sure, they can claim the JW has free will, but we all know what the facts are. Upon baptism, a JW pledges an oath to Watchtower's rules. Obviously that isn't a legally binding contract, is it?

  They had most of us duped and continue to have the faithful JW right where they want them.
• 

  5go

  Adding to Blondies post I have to say that I can't understand why they ever got rid of the donation arrangement the way they had it. I know they didn't want to pay those taxes, but why not just simply raise the price of the literature to compensate?

  Simply put: To prevent a massive tax nightmare and loads of very very bad publicity in the news.

  I'll explain.... The WTS currently says that, legally, Jehover’s Witnesses are not in any way affiliated with or subordinate to the WTS. This means that when each individual JW goes door-to-door selling the publications that JW is acting on his own and is operating his own private business. This in turn means that every single individual JW will be required to legally open a business, get a business tax ID, maintain an accounting ledger and file taxes quarterly at the county, state and federal levels.

  Now, imagine millions of JWs going around screwing up this process and being audited over and over again. I guarantee you it will result in a nightmare of bad publicity for the WTS.

  On top of that, this business process will force JWs to stop and think: “Hey, wait a minute… I thought this was Jehover’s preaching work, not a business venture.” Once that little light starts going on in all of the JWs heads they will start to wake up and realize that they’ve been conned.

  Yep in order to make it managable they will have to make it work like a normal bussiness and that means it will come under more bussiness laws even charities have to pay minimum wage if they pay wages. ( I know it won't effect the R&F but the bethelites, missionaries, and special pioneers even some pioneers get a stipen ). They could in theory use the company store laws to minimize this but it would make them look like an enterprise not a religion. Which is bad because they look like one now without this mess.
• 

  james_woods

  Elsewhere has a very good point - I don't know if it is the total reason or not, but you can be sure of this:

  They for sure had all their Kingdom Lawyers working double time on this during the CA case, and they took whatever course they thought would bring them the least trouble. Still it is strange to see a business take out its own primary cash cow over such a silly issue as a sales tax.

  Look at it this way - they could have just added the suitable tax onto the weekly magazine shipment to the congregation & put it in the invoice. Then, they could have told the R & F to buy them at the literature counter for 2c more or so, and not to ask for contributions "for the magazines" at the door anymore. They could either give them away or ask for a voluntary contribution (no suggested amount) "for the worldwide preaching work".

  But, maybe on reasons like Elsewhere mentions, their legal dept. talked them out of it...although I think there must also have been a measure of simple stubborn pride mixed up with this as well.

  Same with the blood issue - they have a built-in liability there that could be resolved immediately by making this a very quiet "conscience matter" just like they did with alternative service. But, probably they are too ingrained in this teaching to take the more careful course of action.
• 

  hamsterbait

  The "losses" they are making are the clever sort of accounting losses from book keeping.

  For instance, the CD Rom costs only 50c to make. The person doing this job takes say 1min 30 to make one. Shipping cost per disc is calculated on the fraction of a gallon needed to transport it along with a load of other stuff.

  Add in the cost of his food for that time 20c, electricity for 1min 30, .009c, and the cost of a commercial CD Rom of similar quality $60.00.

  So the society has lost $60.70 and .009c, assuming that the recipient does not place a donation in the box.

  They calculate the loss on the basis of what an item would cost if commercially produced, and omit to mention that they are actually made by unpaid slave labor.

  I reckon if they could, they would export the printing to some third world sweat shop and pay children 3c an hour to do it.

  HB