does the society try their best to pay taxes or to avoid doing so???

by therevealer 17 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  thetrueone

  Religious charlatans especially in the US cherish and exploit this tax exemption to the fullest.

  This includes local property taxes where any organization builds or owns land for their designated use.

  Every Kingdom Hall is land tax exempt.

  I'm not sure but the WTS. might even be tax exempt from purchasing raw material and goods dependent upon where and which country.

  The answer to the posed question is yes they try and avoid paying taxes, on all levels from Corporate to right to local communities.

  It is for this and other reasons why these religious organizations get so wealthy over time.

  And this isn't exclusive just with the WTS/JWS.

  Harold Camping Ministries, remember this other EndTime religious publishing organization , is worth estimated to have accumulated 100

  million US in just less than 20 years, all tax free...... not bad dough for false prophesying .
• 

  designs

  When you are in Southern California drive by the Trinity Broadcast Network headquarters in Irvine or any of the Megachurches and then play Robert Palmers 'She's so fine there's no telling where the money went' real LOUD!
• 

  DesirousOfChange

  or better yet replace the existing personal income tax with a retail sales tax.

  The LOW estimates on what this sales tax rate would have to be is 20% - 25%, with many economists saying higher (30%+). If you travel to nations that currently have a national sales tax or value added tax, you will be shocked as to how high typical things cost. Then I fear, our national sales tax would go the same path that state and local sales taxes have gone, i.e., I recall when state/local tax rate was < 3%. Now, here it is over 9.5%, despite the fact that inflation increases the tax recepts in direct proportion to the higher costs of good. Most things eaily cost twice as much as they did 20 years ago, which means that the sales tax revenues would have doubled WITHOUT higher tax rates. But that isn't what has happened. Tax rates have tripled, thus tax revenues went up six-fold. And it still isn't enough for the bureaucrats -- they want more and always will want more!
• 

  blondie

  Wallkill is in a fairly poor county. To keep the peace the WTS built a firehouse, trains Bethelites, and they put out fires and have EMTs as well. They have paved and keep up the roads near their facility at their cost. I was also told that some land stayed on the tax rolls als not to antagonize county government and residents.

  I remember too that other religions operate under the same situation.

  But just because an organization is religious does not mean taxes are never paid.

  Section 501 of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax code exempts qualified nonprofit organizations from federal taxes. A nonprofit organization is an organization that engages in activities for both public and private interest without pursuing the goal of commercial or monetary profit. To be exempted from federal taxes, nonprofit organizations have to meet certain rules. Some of these rules include:

  • Being organized and operated exclusively for charitable, scientific, religious or public safety purposes.
  • Collecting income and turning over entire amount less expenses to organizations or individuals who are lawfully recognized as legitimate charities.

  If a nonprofit organization engages in activities that are unrelated to their basic purpose, they are required to pay income taxes on that money. For example, if nonprofit organization ABC was formed to provide shelter for the homeless and it makes some money selling bicycles, that income may be eligible for income tax purposes.
  Nonprofits are also exempt from paying sales and property taxes. While the income of a nonprofit organization may not be subject to federal taxes, nonprofit organizations do pay employee taxes (Social Security and Medicare) just like any for-profit company. To learn more about tax issues for nonprofit organizations, go to the IRS website. (Learn more about nonprofit financial statements in Navigating Government And Nonprofit Financial Statements.)

  http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1828.pdf
• 

  BluesBrother

  Of course they try their best to avoid paying taxes...They have 'In house' accountants and probably use outside specialists to advise them. Is that not what we would expect of any large organization?

  What is wrong with that, if they stay within the law?
• 

  blondie

  I'll add this separately. If the WTS cares about anything it is money, their money. The last thing they would want to do is give any government the right legally to take it due to improper tax reports.

  It is no accident that the WTS has been fighting the tax thing in France for long.

  Recent events:

  http://www.vision.org/visionmedia/article.aspx?id=45917

  Euro Court backs Jehovah's Witnesses against France

  STRASBOURG, June 30 (Reuters) - The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Thursday that France had violated the religious rights of Jehovah's Witnesses by demanding over 57.5 million euros ($81.6 million) in taxes the church says it is exempt from paying.

  France considers Jehovah's Witnesses a dangerous sect and ordered it in 1999 to pay back taxes on donations it received in 1993-1996 from its members, who number about 250,000 here.

  The Strasbourg-based court said the tax bill would deprive Jehovah's Witnesses of most of their funding in France, effectively denying it the means to exercise their faith.

  "There had therefore indeed been interference in the applicant association's right to freedom of religion," it said in its decision, which France can appeal.

  The court delayed any decision on damages, asking both parties to try to agree on a settlement. The church brought the case to the European Court after its appeal against the tax ruling was refused by France's highest administrative court.

  The European court did not comment on the tax-exempt status of Jehovah's Witnesses, which France says they do not qualify for, and based its ruling on what it saw as a misapplication of French tax law.

  http://www.expatica.com/fr/news/french-news/french-tax-of-jehovah-s-witnesses-hinders-rights-court_160003.html

  Jehovah's Witnesses are a millenarian movement that believes Jesus Christ will return to Earth to defeat evil in an apocalyptic battle and then reign for 1,000 years.

  Founded in the United States in the late 19th century, the church has operated in France since 1900 as a religious association but ran into problems after a parliamentary commission declared it a sect in 1995.

  Paris began monitoring activities of religious groups it considered suspicious after 16 members of the secretive Order of the Solar Temple cult were found murdered in southeastern France in an apparent collective suicide.

  Jehovah's Witnesses, who are barred by church rules from political activities, military conscription and accepting blood transfusions, insist they want only to be treated by the authorities in the same way as other Christian religions.

  Several French appeals courts have ruled in recent years that the state prison authorities were wrong to refuse to allow Jehovah's Witnesses chaplains to visit prisoners.

  ($1 = 0.705 Euros)

  (Reporting by Gilbert Reilhac, writing by Tom Heneghan, editing by Michael Roddy; )

  © 2011 Reuters
• 

  designs

  One of the BIG upsets at Bethel was when they had to start paying SS taxes and Workmens Comp., god forbid they should actually have to look after the 'volunteers'.
• 

  thetrueone

  Thanks Blondie for the information being in the States yourself

  Its interesting to note that since the very beginning of the WTS. of the late 1800's right up to the early 1980's

  every piece of literature, book, bible, magazine or yearly subscription sold openly to the public was tax exempt as income

  for the WTS. and yet was manufactured and produced with a very low cost overhead.

  Add that to the personal donations this organization has received over the last century and its not too surprising to comprehend

  that the WTS. assets over the billion dollar mark, worldwide .