openly68atheist

Why are Chruches tax exempt? Is it because they are non-profit, they are supposedly to the betterment of society, and taxing them would cause excessive entanglement between church and state?

If so are there not any Atheist organizations that also meet this criteria? Basically what I am asking is, is there a building out there that is tax exempt and is owned and operated by an Atheist who actively promotes his views?

WhackAGod

Fromthe little I know, an atheist organization can become a 503(c) organization which is tax exempt. I don't know the specifics of religious exemption but I wouldn't be surprised if being religious made it easier to get an exemption.

It's claimed it's because of CSS, but that's baloney. Giving special perks to religious groups is the exact opposite of CSS.

openly68atheist

Continuation, not replying to the above post.

The claim that they are a betterment to society is made because churches teach morals and ethics, and teach people how to behave in a law biding manner. This claim ofcourse, I doubt has any validity because despite the fact that the vast majority of people are religious and do attend church, it's ironic that almost all, if not all peoples convited of felonies or misdamenors are regular anttendees at their local churches.

But I'll go along with the calim that churches are a betterment to society, simply because they teach people how to be lawfull citizens, for arguements sake and but I'll state that with that logic any organization which teaches the law including an Atheist organization law should be eligible for tax exemption.

openly68atheist

What's CSS?

Frito

The First Amendment, Infringement clause. Taxes can be considered infringment. Also, since the esablishment clause denies the right to favor one church over another they have to have a blanket tax immunity to save their own church.

Splarnst

Church-State Separation. I normally hear it as "separation of church and state" though.

Ponzi

One of the reasons I've heard is that taxation could be used as a weapon against certain religions. What immediately comes to mind is a church tax being so high that only the big and powerful sects could pay it, thus keeping any fringe cults or other religions from being able to gain any sort of foothold with the public.

James T

From http://www.info.usda.gov/nrcs/fpcp/faq.htm#2

Organizations that may have 503c tax exempt status include corporations, and any community chest, fund or foundation, organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific testing for public safety, literary or educational purposes, or amateur sports.

I do have some difficulty understanding why religious appears in that list. However I suspect it will be the good old sufficient political clout reason.

EverLastingGodStopper

Moving to CSS from PA&SA.

southernhybrid

Yes. The Atlanta Freethought Society is one. We are considered an educational organization. The AFS owns it's own real estate, does a limited amount of activism, and has educational programs each month. We as a group are not allowed to endorse any political candidates, as is true for churches and other nonprofits.