Society owes 50mil in fines over in Europe?

by cognac 8 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  cognac

  Here's the site: http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-2020252_ITM

  Notice this paragraph:

  The French tax administration has now launched a serious attack on the freedom of religious association and worship by enforcing a 60% tax on "hand donations" made by more than 200,000 Jehovah's Witnesses in the last four years. The amount involved is about 50 million dollars (!) and every donation made to cover it will be taxed again on a 60% basis. After several years of legal battles, a court has just ordered the seizure and the provisional mortgage of their patrimony.

  Does anybody know more about this?
• 

  Farkel

  Yes. It was discussed on tonight's conference call with Roberto and Barb Anderson. Roberto said the WTS appealed all the way to the French Supreme Court and lost. So now they have appealed to the European Court.

  Farkel
• 

  cognac

  Yeah, I was on that call and that's where I found out. Sorry, I forgot to give credit where credit is due!!!

  Anywho, you know how long that will take? You think it will make them go bankrupt?
• 

  cognac

  Is the European court the last one that they can appeal to?
• 

  diamondiiz

  It will be interesting what WT$ will do when they loose at the European court. Will they try to pull something like they did with Mexico? But it would be impossible since they're already a religious group, maybe there will be a new light directly concerning French witnesses who will not donate anything in France but their loving donations will be accepted by Brooklyn through a wire transfer :) Maybe to a Cayman Island bank account just to make things really annonymous and it will be Brooklyn paying KH expenses thus the good ol' boys in Brooklyn come out as saviors of "JW"s in France. Any other twisted logic to get out of paying the bill or continue paying the tax?
• 

  cognac

  Does anybody know when they will have to go to the European court?
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  cognac

  bttt - For those that haven't read about this. Does anybody have more info on this?
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  Mickey mouse

  I knew about this some years back but haven't heard anything about it for some time. I guess the wheels of justice turn slow?
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  cognac

  I guess they appealed it so thats why its taken so long... I'd like to know when its going to court again.