$230,000,000
Curious to what that figure represents to potential losses to the Borg?.... Read on now that I have your attention....
On another thread the discussion was about congregations not donating enough. I wonder how bad it would be if they Borg had to actually PAY it's Bethel Staff Volunteers?
I am sure there are more up to date figures for number of Bethelites worldwide... (this number came from w96 4/15, 22) and if you have them YOU redo the math
At the time of that writing (11 years ago), there were 16,400 members of the Bethel Family (aka Special Order of Full-Time Servants).... this did not include other members of SOFTS (such as missionaries, COs, DOs, their wives, Assembly Hall Caretakers, etc).....JUST just Bethelites. If these Bethelites are working 2080 hours a year (52 weeks @ 40 hours), then that is a total of 34,112,000 hours (34 MILLION HOURS wasted at Bethel)!
If we use the current US Federal Minimum Wage of $5.15/hr, this is $175,676,800 ($175 MIL! in UNPAID WAGES EVERY YEAR). This does not include overtime. If, on average (since some Bethelites with seniority dont work Saturday yet others work additional night guard shifts), they are required to work 4 hours overtime each week (the Saturday morning shift), then that would be an additional 3,411,200 hours of overtime, 208 hours @ $7.73/hr OT ($5.15 X 1.5) per Bethelite = $1607.84 per Bethelite in unpaid overtime. X 16,400 Bethelites = additional $26,368,576 in UNPAID OVERTIME.
IMAGINE....$202,045,376 IN TOTAL UNPAID WAGES....EACH AND EVERY YEAR BY THE BORG.....
Extrapolate this further....In the US, employers are required to pay 1.45% additional for Medicare).... $2.92 million not going to fund Medicare..... (and an additional equal amount deducted from the employee).... nearly $6 mil not paid to fund something likely to be tapped by Bethelites when they get old.....
Then add on Social Security (FICA) at 6.2% employer contribution..... (quickly calculating,.,,,)... hmmmm $12.52 million not going to SSI....(and the same amount not being paid by the bethelites.......
Unemployment taxes..... Federal (with credit given for state paid but still totaling) an additional 6.2%..... $12.52 million not going into the unemployment pot....
So, we are looking at Watchtower not paying WORLDWIDE Bethelites (based on US wage/tax rates...your rates may be higher or lower ) of $230 MILLION DOLLARS not being paid by the Watchtower EACH AND EVERY YEAR (and ultimately by the rank and file dub through donation...averaging an additional $35 per publisher to cover this potential problem )...and an additional $18 million not going to social security and Medicaid poor programs from employee Bethel volunteer contributions.
Lets not forget Workers Compensation... required of regular employers.....more millions
My question... how long would it take to bankrupt the Borg?.....IF they were forced to acknowledge that the Bethelites are NOT "ministers" in the IRS Charitable sense of the word and that the designation "Order of Special Full Time Servants" is just a cover for a tax dodge?
GOSH...they may have to have a fire sale on all of their tax-exempt property! I think France has it right on them owing $60 mil plus penalties on the donations tax over there....
I just love to rain on the Borgs parade Just my random thoughts on something been bugging me for a bit....any response is appreciated...
SnakesInTheTower (of the "not donating another dime to the Borg" Sheep Class)