Do elders have to turn in JW tax evaders? Can tax evaders be DF'd?
Elders Book p. 138, 139:
If the elders learn of illegal activity or of some serious crime on the part of a member of the congregation, they may not be obliged by law to report the offender or the offense to secular authorities.
Overseers are not to police the lives of the brothers, nor are they obligated to become acquainted with all the details of civil and criminal law so as to enforce these. Just as they do not check to see if someone's home meets every detail of the building code,
they do not investigate in order to determine whether a person has satisfied every detail as to his legal situation in the country before allowing him to get baptized or to continue in the congregation.
Once, when I was "between engagements" I worked for an elder in his cleaning business. This is the same guy I've mentioned previously who had an electric meter from God knows where that he plugged into the circuits at appartment complexes and used free electricity all day. Anyway. This guy did not do any withholding, "matching" or anything else. He brushed it off with, "I don't make enough money to pay that for my workers. Maybe one day when I get bigger, cash flow will allow me to do that." -- as if performing your duty to the tax man was voluntary.
And I'm sure you're aware that if you have a business relationship with a DFed person, it's OK to keep on dealing with that person.
When the JWs hear that folding green making crinkling noise, ALL BETS are off. Gotta luv 'um.
I scrupulously paid my income taxes and turned down jobs, when in dire financial need, which were "under the table", as I felt that was wong. (Can you all see my nimbus from here?) I can't, however, speak for anyone else. Who knows what they did?
I'm not saying that all were crooked, but no one I knew in the cleaning business payed income tax. And since about 50% of witnesses are in the cleaning business, the government is losing money with these guys.
Why is it that witnesses are in the cleaning business anyways. Why aren't they taxi drivers instead. You don't need much education to do that?
Oh yea, I forgot, taxi drivers work 6 days a week, 10-12 hours a day, and they pay income tax. With a job like that you can't go to your 5 meetings and out in the field service every two days.
