Should ANY entity, organization, group...whatever... be tax exempt? If yes, what is the qualifier?

[davsand]

35. Tax exempt supports organizations doing something to help the citizens.

It was explained to me that tax exemption was originally supposed to be there to support/assist organizations that helped the citizens in some form or another, or in a way that lessened the burden of government. The general thought was that religion was something that provided comfort or support to those who needed it. Similarly, hospitals, community groups, food kitchens--social services groups as a whole--were designated as being possibly tax exempt because they either lessened the need for government provided services or they provided some sort of service to any and all who needed it.

Dunno for sure that this was the original intent, but that's how it was explained to me when I started researching it several years ago...

Now, something I think is pretty important to point out here, is the historical behaviors of churches when it comes to politics. Yes, you've always had specific churches that had internal policies that impacted in laws passed (think ending slavery, Prohibition and Women's Rights as examples...) The majority of church activism in the political arena, however, came about in just the last few decades with stuff like "the Moral Majority" and all the other theology driven political organizations. Don't EVER make the mistake of thinking it is only the conservative agenda that gets political, either. Prior to the creation of the Moral Majority movement there was a lot of "community organizing" going on in minority churches when it came to stuff like civil rights and voter rights.

Where do you draw the line on exempt and non-exempt? Could you legitimately say that it was improper of a church to speak out on the issue of slavery? I don't think I could.

I'm viciously opposed to exemption for any organization that is working against freedom to marry, however, it isn't up to ME to decide what is and isn't a "legitimate" issue for church involvement. Same thing can be said of the issues of contraceptives and family planning--yet those are hot button issues for certain religious groups. How DO you decide what's ok and what isn't?

This exemption issue is a HUGE can of worms.



Laura