General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Should Churches Be Taxed? [View all]Xithras
(16,191 posts)I've never entirely understood the argument AGAINST taxing them. The tax code already allows businesses to deduct their operating expenses, and a church that is operating honestly should be able to deduct virtually all of its income under those guidelines. Electrical bills? Deductible. Employee wages? Deductible. Rent? Deductible. Even running shelters and soup kitchens should be deductible, if people are donating money to keep those in operation (the soup kitchen becomes an expense required to maintain the income).
In theory, people donate to their churches in order to support its operations and keep it open. Any money they spend toward those goals should be deductible, meaning the church will pay no taxes on them anyway. They will only pay taxes on profit left over at the end of the year.