Just throwing this idea out in hyperspace to see what comes up.
What Could Cause the Watch Tower Corporation to Loose Its Non Profit Tax Status?
by frankiespeakin 19 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Phizzy
I think it hangs by athread here in the U.K . I really must apply myself to examining this properly. here we do not have the silly "hands off" approach to religion, they damn well have to justify themselves, but they do manage (the WT) to skate along just inside the words of the law. The reality, we who have been on the inside know, is nowhere near.
In truth, the WT does nothing of benefit to the community, which is the acid test of what constitiutes a Charity, but with weasel words and downright lies they will make it appear that they do.
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blondie
Getting involved in politics which many non-jw religions have been doing in the US but the IRS has not been pursuing them. If the IRS is not doing this (and the WTS stays out of the kind of political involvement mentioned in this article), I don't know if the IRS would pursue the WTS.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/15/freedom-from-religion-foundation-lawsuit_n_2138457.html
http://www.nonprofitlawblog.com/home/2011/06/275000-nonprofits-lose-tax-exempt-status.html
http://www.councilofnonprofits.org/resources/admin-management/jeopardizing-tax-exempt-status
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Chaserious
In the U.S., it would probably take either a wholesale stripping of tax free status from all religions or some kind of fraud/conspiracy prosecution. I don't see an across-the-board change in the religious tax exemption for at least a couple of generations, if at all. And I wouldn't get hopes up about the fraud/conspiracy angle either. Even if everything that has been alleged with some reasonable basis in fact on sites like this is true, I don't know if anything rises to the that level. It seems like countries in Europe are more likely to take such a stance against WTS in the foreseeable future than the U.S.
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ABibleStudent
Get enough people to organize and write their representatives and anything is possible! Gays, Feminists, Catholics, JWs with doubts, exJWs, ex-Moonies, ex-Scientologists, and Scientologist with doubts all have legitimate issues with a small percentage of non-profit organizations. Limiting tax exemptions could be a very influential way to encourage change in those non-profit organizations whose leaders care more about protecting the image of their organization than protecting its members and their member's children. The IRS already disqualifies non-profit organizations with links to terrorizm from receiving tax exemptions.
Unfortunately, to paraphrase an exJW, "Organizing exJWs is like herding cats."
Peace be with you and everyong, who you love,
Robert
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frankiespeakin
How about if it could be proved that it's stand on it members being disfellowshipped or disassociated if they join the national defence of the usa constitutes a political envolvement?
Certainly that would be clasified as a political envovlement all be it a rejection of authority of a nation to muster a defence.
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frankiespeakin
Probably this is the reason they don't disfellowship a person who is a baptised member of thier corporation for joining the military, instead they simply disassociate the person but the same rules apply as DF'n him or her.
To me this is very political in its nature even though the government they support and tell other to support is only in their imagination it still opposes the right of a country to get it citizens to bear arms in its defence, a very serious political stand.
Lets not forget all that political propaganda they Governing Body have printed that tells others to rejoice in the destruction of every government on earth because they are wicked and from the devil, surely this is political envovlement.
Allowing this type of corporation to get to amass wealth and be untaxed while telling its members the governments are all run by Satan and going to be destroyed is not what the tax exemption of religions and churchs is all about and the IRS should have a serious look at them and revoke its status.
If anything I think they deserve to have their religious organization status revoked because of being very political.
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Balaamsass
I doubt the IRS would go after WTBTS, however many states might. California board of Equalization (California usually ties with AUS as the 8th largest economy in the world) went after the YMCA years ago. YMCA almost lost tax exempt status because of having profit making "Lunch counters" in many facilities. Funny about the same time WTBTS got rid of the lunch facilities at assembly halls......hummmm.
In 2012 California started going after anyone involved in "Elder abuse". Governor Brown and the Attorney General, reassigned many of the the DOJ narcotics people to senior abuse. Of great intrest has been Attornies involved in scamming the Medi-CAL low income programs for senior care. Seniors "gift" assets to family and charities, and then appear "poor" enough for free rest home care. A well known Attorney who gave seminars on how to "gift away" assets, claim "poverty" and become a burden on the state for rest home care, got arrested in 2012.
The conspiracy (RICO) angle on defrauding the government for benefits might get traction in California right now. WTBTS "Conditional" gifting program seems to be set up to de-fraud the state medi-cal system. The fact that they ask participants to destroy records does not pass the smell test. It could result in California JW Halls, Assembly halls, and property being subject to state taxes, WTBTS Attornies being disbarred (arrested?) , and some very bad press. Other states might follow suite.
Don't know for sure, but it could cause a bit of sweating at WTBTS. A good CPA or tax attorney would need to review recent case law and tax code and write the Attorney General.
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ABibleStudent
Hi Balaamsass, I like your ideas. I know an unemployed attorney in CA. Unfortunately, I would need to overcome his initial objections of no to your ideas. Do you have ideas how to sell that the risk was worth the effort?
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
Robert
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Refriedtruth
The Watchtower could have as much as $200 BILLION in mostly tax free mostly real estate assets. Like Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard said,"want to make money got to start a religion