Over 1,000 Pastors to Defy/Challenge IRS Oct 7

bobwg

Expert Expediter
Foxnews Starting on Oct 7 more than 1,000 Pastors will Defy/challenge IRS rule that forbids tax exempt groups like churches from preaching politics. THe rule was put in place by the IRS in 1954. The pastors say it violates their 1st ammendment.
 

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
The IRS almost never enforces the rule. They'll issue warnings and such, but have removed tax exempt status from 5 or 6 churches since the law was enacted. Prohibiting partisan politics by tax exempt organizations could certainly be viewed as a violation of the First Amendment, but one also has to consider that by allowing it, the government, and the taxpayers, are literally subsidizing partisan politics.
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
"the government, and the taxpayers, are literally subsidizing partisan politics."


They are and we tax payers are already subsidizing partisan politics.
 

bobwg

Expert Expediter
The IRS almost never enforces the rule. They'll issue warnings and such, but have removed tax exempt status from 5 or 6 churches since the law was enacted. Prohibiting partisan politics by tax exempt organizations could certainly be viewed as a violation of the First Amendment, but one also has to consider that by allowing it, the government, and the taxpayers, are literally subsidizing partisan politics.
I would say the warnings and such are enough to scare most of the churches to shut up
 

garyatk

Seasoned Expediter
As our government continues to slide down the slippery slope you will most likely see churches voluntarily give up their 501c3 status to follow Christ.
 

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
How many churches have done that so far?

What is more likely is they'll become more and more belligerent in wanting their cake and eating, too, as the 1000 pastors doing that very thing illustrates. They could simply give up their 501c3, but they won't. That would cost them too much money. Always follow the money.
 

skyraider

Veteran Expediter
US Navy
How many churches have done that so far?

What is more likely is they'll become more and more belligerent in wanting their cake and eating, too, as the 1000 pastors doing that very thing illustrates. They could simply give up their 501c3, but they won't. That would cost them too much money. Always follow the money.

Amen on that one...................rof, he is right, yes he is.

A friend of mines Uncle is a CPA and his job is to help churches beat the IRS and find tax loopholes for them and ut oh,,,,,,,,,,for us to, how did that happen.
 

asjssl

Veteran Expediter
Fleet Owner
Tax all organized religion... there nothing more than $$$ making machines... would help get us out of debt....


Sent from my DROID RAZR using EO Forums
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
There is not enough tax money in the world to get us out of debt. The ONLY was to get out is to drastically cut spending. It is likely too late anyway. We are already bankrupt.
 

bobwg

Expert Expediter
Tax all organized religion... there nothing more than $$$ making machines... would help get us out of debt....


Sent from my DROID RAZR using EO Forums
problem is not the taxes it is the stupid govt spending too much and everyone one or group should be able to exercise their free speech including political speech with our the govt putting limits tax exempt or not
 

Humble2drive

Expert Expediter
Would you also call for taxing Planned Parenthood and AARP?

Planned Parenthood - Nope. It was set up by the Gov't (Nixon) and the majority of their funding comes from taxpayers. Taxing tax payer money makes little sense as they could just increase the funding to cover it.
There is some clinic income that is open for discussion.

AARP- Yep. It has become a huge partisan insurance company. Wait a minute.
They may end up raising my membership rate. Change the subject.:rolleyes:
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Nixon did not start planned parenthood. It started long before he was elected. It started when he was about 3 years old.
 

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
I agree that the Planned Parenthood Federation of America should not be taxed, because it's already taxpayer funded. Better just to remove all taxpayer funding from it. It's been around since the early part of the last century, and became a part of the International Planned Parenthood Federation in 1940s. But it was Nixon who signed into law the Family Planning Services and Population Research Act in 1970 which began federal funding of the organization. The law enjoyed bipartisan support from liberals who saw contraception access as increasing families' control over their lives, and conservatives who saw it as a way to keep people off welfare, both current and the as-yet conceived. Catholics didn't much like it, though.

But of course rather than giving families increased control over their lives and reducing the welfare rolls it has evolved into doing neither of those things, since from the very beginning of federal funding is was really and truly a backlash of the consequences of Women's Liberation, and has serviced far more single women than families, and has helped to increase the welfare rolls by encouraging even less personal responsibility than The Pill did (IMHO, of course). They get about one-third of their $1 billion revenue from the federal government in grants and contracts. None of that money goes directly to fund abortions, of course, but at the same time it certainly frees up other funds to be used for abortions, which is, in effect, the same thing. Not a penny of federal funds should be use to pay for (as per law), or to facilitate abortions, which is exactly what is happening by the federal money freeing up other money.

As for AARP, yeah, they should be taxed. They're a non-profit group, but only because their profits are funneled directly towards partisan political lobbying efforts. So their tax exempt status has taxpayers in effect paying for their lobbying efforts.

The twofold reasons churches shouldn't be allowed to engage in "First Amendment" partisan politics is the same that federal workers cannot, because it leads to corruption and a subversion of the democratic political process, because churches, like federally funded teachers, have undue influence over a captive audience who is primed to be led blindly and do as they are told, and they would be doing it, in effect, financed by taxpayer money.
 
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