Is the Borg winding down printing altogether?

by slimboyfat 21 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Still Totally ADD

  NewYork44M the problem they had with that high-speed printer was they could only run it half speed. Because no one knew how to operate it full speed. That is what I was told when I went on a tour at Wallkill back in 2004. Still Totally ADD
  
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  OrphanCrow

  It wouldn't surprise me if the WTS is getting nailed for tax on printed material.

  In Canada, even if they don't sell a product, they still could be levied a Goods and Services tax on the printed material they produce.

  http://mmoutreachinc.com/nvweb/featureart/wttaxes.html

  Maybe the tax man is catching up to the WTS' tax evasion methods.
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  Brokeback Watchtower

  If they were astute business men they would have abandened the printing business decades ago and moved on to something else but these wishful thinkers just keep hoping for a turn around in profits all the while pushing the pedal to the metal with denial.

  Next came the big real estate fiasco which is costing them big time. Change will come only when no alternative exist with these slow thinking Einsteins.
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  NewYork44M

  Thanks for the background. I never heard what happened with the high speed printing. This is just another example of bad management in action.

  Bad management has killed many organizations. I guess this ugly beast has found another victim.
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  OrphanCrow

  Brokeback: If they were astute business men they would have abandened the printing business decades ago and moved on to something else but these wishful thinkers just keep hoping for a turn around in profits all the while pushing the pedal to the metal with denial.

  Well. A person could almost get the impression that whoever had interests in a sideline company like...maybe a paper company, for example...or a company with timber interests, would be eager to keep one of the biggest consumers of paper in the US busy.

  Heck, the WT even had a custom made paper named after them, and designed specifically for their needs only, at one time!

  If you think the WTS is taking a hit, just think of how the paper companies feel about losing one of their biggest customers.
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  pepperheart

  They would love to and they are trying to cut back and i think we will see more and more of the single page tracts over the years coming
  
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  Beth Sarim

  Winding down printed material??

  I think so. Lately, in the last few months or so, all people do now when they go in service is show the householder a tract with a Q.R. code on it directing the householder to a website. All you hear about these days is JW.org and tablets.
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  Listener

  Orphan Crow It wouldn't surprise me if the WTS is getting nailed for tax on printed material.
  In Canada, even if they don't sell a product, they still could be levied a Goods and Services tax on the printed material they produce.
  http://mmoutreachinc.com/nvweb/featureart/wttaxes.html
  Maybe the tax man is catching up to the WTS' tax evasion methods.

  You are definately onto something here.

  In Australia they are registered for GST since 2000 (Goods & Services Tax) and are a Charity (non profit). GST is currently 10%.

  They get to claim back the 10% they paid on all expenses and I doubt they pay 10% on any of their donations.

  What qualifies as a Donation which is not subject to GST is complex but generally applies if the donation is a pure gift, without any expectations for any provisions in return. If the provision is minor (such as a pen advertising the Charity) it is okay.

  This is what one website defines a GST free donation/gift as

  Gifts & Donations
  For a payment (monetary or non-monetary) to be considered a gift or donation, it must be unfettered. Specifically, there must be no obligation on the donee to do anything in recognition of the gift, and no expectation on the part of the donor to receive anything in return for the donation. Whether a payment is a gift, and therefore not subject to GST, depends upon the circumstances surrounding the payment. For a payment not to be subject to GST would require: a payment that is made voluntarily, and not as a result of a prior contractual obligation (written or implied); a payment where the payer does not receive an advantage of a material character by way of return for making the payment; and a payment that essentially arises from benefaction.
  A donor may receive something in return for making a payment with the payment still being treated as a gift, providing the thing received is only of ‘insubstantial’ value. An item of insubstantial value will not provide a donor with a material benefit.

  This is one reason why the Org says to not specify what the donation is for when remitting money to them.

  Funny thing is that if a portion of that donation is not GST free, specifically for printed publications as an expectation which is not insubstantial, then the value would most likely be the market value which would be far greater than the minimal charge they were imposing prior to the donation arrangement.

  There intention was to make it look like JWs were not paying for the literature or specifically donating for the literature but the JWs certainly had the expectation that they would be recieving it, that is the main reason that the WTBTS is there for. The GB had separated itself legally from the WTBTS in 2000 leaving the WTBTS to be virtually a business operation (albeit non profit). The amount of literature given to each JW is significant and could not be considered as a thank you gift from the Organization.

  It would be interesting to know what the situation is regarding the definition of donations and tax in other countries.

  If the Australian Branch suddenly found itself with a huge GST bill for a three year period they would have the option of taking it to Court to dispute it, it would then become public. However, they may choose not to as it would send out a flag for other Countries to examine.

  Again Orphan Crow, I think you are on the right track here.

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  dropoffyourkeylee

  In the US the print industry is greatly declining and has put some companies virtually out of business. Newsweek and Encyclopedia Britannica come to mind. I could see the WT printing being eliminated in developed nations. However, in undeveloped countries there is still a need for print.
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  NewYork44M

  

  dropoffyourkeylee

  However, in undeveloped countries there is still a need for print.

  That is only if they are interested in pursuing their interests in these countries. They may have the attitude of why bother, these countries bring no economic value to the organization.