Spiritual defender: Hidden Tax: US Families Pay an Extra $1,000 per Year to Support Religion

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Hidden Tax: US Families Pay an Extra $1,000 per Year to Support Religion

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RAYLOKESeptember 20, 2011 at 6:23 PM
us-news, taxes, church, tax-exempt
Seeded by MWeaver
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The economic impact on taxpayers is substantial when considering that when churches avoid paying tax, the cost of maintaining roads, police and fire protection, and schools must be made up by everyone else. When the community picks up the tab for a church’s drain on the community, it is a subsidy and in violation of the separation of church and state. It has been estimated that when church and clergy tax-exemptions are taken into account, the average family may pay up to $1,000 in extra taxes every year to make up for the lost revenue because of the church’s tax exemption and it includes sales taxes, inheritance taxes, income taxes, and personal taxes. It is bad enough conservative Christians are supporting Republicans’ agenda, but it is an outrage that the public has to fund their anti-American advocacy. Americans should not be forced to fund conservative’s agendas that will eventually lead to a theocracy, and yet, some of the groups that support maintaining tax-exempt status for churches are stunning.

There are many liberals who support giving special tax breaks to the clergy and tax-exemption for churches and it is the height of hypocrisy. For one thing, the majority of Christian churches support anti-gay, anti-women, and conservative issues like more tax breaks for the wealthy and elimination of the poor and elderly’s safety nets. How can a liberal oppose tax breaks for the wealthy and support tax breaks for the clergy and their churches? It is incredibly disappointing to discover many liberals unknowingly support the issues they claim to oppose and then expect all taxpayers to join them in promoting conservative issues; especially when the result is a theocracy.

Dominionists have stated their intention is to gain control of every aspect of society and government to install a Christian theocracy and they are well on their way to achieving their goal. Now, they are attempting to control the IRS and change the rules that are in place to protect the Constitution’s separation of church and state. The American people cannot continue being forced to pay churches to undermine democracy and promote hate-inspired conservative-Christian ideology. As the Religious Right gains influence and support from well-funded and powerful religious groups, their supremacy over the government will reach a tipping point that will never be overcome. The Alliance Defense Fund is the tip of the iceberg and as more governors, legislators, and presidential candidates in the Republican Party are emboldened by support from the pulpit, democracy faces a challenge an invading army would envy.
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