To include churches for income tax

[koykoy]

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c'mon guys... the church is already paying taxes.

it wouldnt seem obvious but they have paid a substantial amount of VAT or Percentage Tax when they are purchasing those expensive cars for the priests, construction materials to renovate the church and the priests' quarters, electricity, water, cable TV, broadband internet, food, etc. Considering the amount they spent for these, they already paid their share.

But since income tax is different from the sales tax mentioned above, i would suggest thought that they will not be taxed thru the form of annual income tax which would irk a well known supporter of the church here for reasons such as "separation of the church and state", "govt will use it far less effectively", etc. instead, those parishioners shall withhold 20% of their DONATIONS to the church and use BIR Form 1601-F (Final Tax) and file it in the nearest RDO (Revenue District Office) or AAB along with your payment of the tax withheld. Churches must also CREDIT the gross donated amount to the parishioners account and not the NET payment. So for example, parishioner A DONATES 800 to the church, the priest must credit Parishioner A with 1,000 (800/80%) as his DONATION for whatever benefit that such parishioner expects. Parishioner then can claim the full amount of 1,000 as allowable deduction from his gross income for purposes of filing an income tax. C'mon people, this is the age of reason.

Heck, in Transylvania, witches are already charged with income tax for the gross amount that they received from their clients, but in the form of withholding tax. We should do that here. After all, they are just the same (though the church is on a far bigger scale)

[mannyamador]

Since the Church is doing the government's job as far as social services are concerned, a better idea would be to have those thieves in the government pay the Church back for all it's services (especially health, human rights, and education services). That way the money would be put to better use instead of paying for Arroyo's junkets and her paper bag bribes to congressmen.

[rob123]

@@@@@@,

Ang buta di kabati ang bungol d kita..ha!ha!ha!unsa paa!!!

[cottonmouth]

c'mon guys... the church is already paying taxes.

it wouldnt seem obvious but they have paid a substantial amount of VAT or Percentage Tax when they are purchasing those expensive cars for the priests, construction materials to renovate the church and the priests' quarters, electricity, water, cable TV, broadband internet, food, etc. Considering the amount they spent for these, they already paid their share.

But since income tax is different from the sales tax mentioned above, i would suggest thought that they will not be taxed thru the form of annual income tax which would irk a well known supporter of the church here for reasons such as "separation of the church and state", ...)

@koykoy, thanks for the little entertainment.

In my church the ministers are deducted automatically with their withholding tax just like the usual salary men but, I do not know about the other churches, i.e. roman catholics, INC and others. However by state privilege, the church as an institution is exempted from real property taxes. Eventhough I know that the exemption greatly helps our poor church (or pittiful church according to somebody here) I still think that it is unfair. Although our church dwarf incomparisson with RC, INC or Mormons in terms of real properties; it still owns sizable properties. Let us think it this way, a lowly member of the church who owns only 150 sq.m. of lot has to pay real property tax to the government while at the same time will give part of his earnings to the church who doesn't pay a penny for their vast real properties. Fair enough? I DON'T THINK SO.

Another unfair competition is in church owned schools. These schools doesn't pay certain taxes unlike the other private schools. For instance CIT vs USC. I believe there is an unfair competition between them because while USC enjoyed a vast array of church related tax exemptions, CIT may not. However, if consider the tuition fees these schools are almost the same and in many cases USC is even more expensive when it doesn't clearly have the training advantage than CIT.

Those are just few examples but we are talking here of fairness. Is it fair to tax the churches and its extensions for its real properties? Certainly!

[mannyamador]

The "fairness" of this stupid idea to tax religion is closely related to the service that the religious institutions give to the people.

Most thinking people realize that religion gives many important contributions to the state. That is why there is separation of Church and state: to make sure that the state does not screw up religion and destroy the benefits it brings.

If a "church", however, is like a business that realizes profit without giving back more in service, then it's like any other business. Now perhaps some "churches: really don't give any benefits to the people and -- in consequence -- to the state. Maybe that's a fair reason for taxing some so-called churches. Those false, for-profit showman churches in the US come to mind. Some "christian churches" in the Philippines are money-making cults too, so perhaps some people might justifiably think it is fair to tax them too.

The Catholic Church, however, gives the most benefits to the government and the people among all private organizations in this country. Not a single private organization can match the Church in terms of hospitals, education, relief centers, human rights advocacy, etc. Still, other religious institutions also provide significant social services. So these religious institutions are doing the government's job and they don't really get any full compensation for it. If one is truly concerned about fairness, then these should NEVER be taxed.

These institutions are already doing the government's job at no cost to the government. Why should they pay more to this corrupt government? This is fair? Does this make any fiscal sense?What garbage!.

[cottonmouth]

Apparently, somebody here has a medieval economics . Heck, if you build a certain business in your community you'll pay the real property tax, income tax and all the taxes associated therein. Then suddenly, the church nearby thinks that your business is good and then starts doing its own too, equipt with the slogan "this is to help the poor" and other blah blahs. They don't pay those taxes you're paying so they have the "unfair advantage" over you. Chances are you'll go bankrupt faster than collapse of the Iron Curtain. However, unfortunately somebody here thinks that it is fair...well in medieval times it was fair when all the money stops with some old senile men in their majestic cathedrals.

[cottonmouth]

OT:

I have the reason to believe that some churches are anti-development at all: the Roman Catholic church in particular. Please spare me the benefit of the doubt because I am not talking in general about the ordinary church goers but to the people running the show and to some of its blinded supporters (apprently one of them is here). I have observed in my travels that in prosperous countries the cathedrals were just a ghost of its former glory. Even in places where catholicism and protestantism originated e.g., Germany, Spain and UK, the churches barely fills the pews even on special days. In contrast, poorer countries where the Vatican plays a bigger role such as R.P. and most Latin countries where the development is slow or even non-existent, churches are always filled to the brim. The same holds true with Islamic countries.

Why? Here's my 1 peso idea. We take in particular the Roman Catholic church because it is dominant in the Philippine politics. [Again, no offense meant here but only to give support to my analyses.] In the RC church, the priest will always tell its parishioners that prosperity comes from God. That is true but God says you work for it. But if you take all the ingredients together from what these priests are implying, it is discreetly teaching people to depend more to the church. In so doing, the church will not lost the people they are heavily dependent upon. However, when these same people realize that prosperity comes after hard work even without the church help, they will be less dependent to the church...and that is money lost for the church. The church is in the business of attracting more people. More people equals more money. Numbers is also the reason why some christian evangelists live like monarchs, e.g. Quiboloy and the likes.

The truth is a lot of people are dependent to the church for the food on their table. NO they are not the people the church apparently help but they are the ones who run the show. The Roman Catholic church for example has a lot of people paid to run their show. Normally, these people will do everything they can to protect their breadbasket and that even if it means in exchange for prosperity of the country in general. If you @mannyamador is one of them, we can understand why. The good thing is that Filipino people are starting to get out from the grip of the Vatican that I believed had held us down for so long.

God says "...seek and you shall find. Knock and the door shall be open for you..." If you read between the lines it means the blessings are always there because God is always providing...but you have to do your part of the toil, not just pray and wait.

[rob123]

amen!!!!!!!!

[mannyamador]

Spare us the BS "analysis", cottonmouth. Perhaps that applies to YOUR money-grubbing cult, which fools people with false doctrines and takes their money in exchange. No wonder tithing is such a big thing among such cults.

On the other hand, the Catholic Church spends far more for development in economic terms than it actually gets. If you computed the time spent by unpaid priests and nuns for their work, and asked them to be paid, the Church would be bankrupt. But priests and nuns don't have to be paid market wages, and yet they are engaged in the work that this corrupt government is supposed to be doing.

That is one pf the reasons why the Church is very cost-effective. Totally unlike the government, which is a den of thieves. One might also add that the protestant sects are often suffering from financial improprieties, to a degree far greater than in the Catholic Church. No wonder you are so obsessed with taking money from other religions. I wouldn't be surprised if you had a cut from the tithes your pastors shake down from their flock. A brood of vipers indeed.

[cottonmouth]

Spare us the BS "analysis", cottonmouth. Perhaps that applies to YOUR money-grubbing cult, which fools people with false doctrines and takes their money in exchange. No wonder tithing is such a big thing among such cults.

OT: And you think your church is not teaching you false doctrines? Ha! ha! ha! ha! ....ha! pa gyud. Oh man, am ROFL...poor Rizal he should have lived beyond his thirties...gezz.. It just depend who you ask...everybody is in the correct religion according to what he believed is true...bloody.

On the other hand, the Catholic Church spends far more for development in economic terms than it actually gets. If you computed the time spent by unpaid priests and nuns for their work, and asked them to be paid, the Church would be bankrupt. But priests and nuns don't have to be paid market wages, and yet they are engaged in the work that this corrupt government is supposed to be doing.

Where did you get the idea that nuns and priest are not paid? Spare me this BS too. I've known a number of priest with nice big houses and pimped cars. And they don't get a centavo? Crap! Other private companies also do what your church do but they paid there dues. One example is Lexmark. This company is very active on its drive in schools development in local barangays in Lapu2x and also active in re-forestation of Cebu, but it certainly paid its dues to the government. So basically, if your church is gone somebody would just take-over...and I would say nobody would miss them except you and other people who make the church as a living.

That is one pf the reasons why the Church is very cost-effective. Totally unlike the government, which is a den of thieves. One might also add that the protestant sects are often suffering from financial improprieties, to a degree far greater than in the Catholic Church. No wonder you are so obsessed with taking money from other religions. I wouldn't be surprised if you had a cut from the tithes your pastors shake down from their flock. A brood of vipers indeed.

Yeah I believe you, the church (especially your church) is really cost effective coz otherwise they could have been out of business long, long time ago. The Vatican Bank should have not been one of the richest bank in the world, isnt it?

And you really believe your church in not a house of vipers. They are surely not a house of vipers but they are the house of COTTONMOUTHS....deadlier than vipers...AW!

One might also add that the protestant sects are often suffering from financial improprieties, to a degree far greater than in the Catholic Church. No wonder you are so obsessed with taking money from other religions.

I wouldn't loose a sleep whatever you say about protestant churches. I acknowledge it from the very start that churches (catholic, muslim or protestant, scientology, satanism or whatever you call it ) are really money making machines, that is why they should be taxed. Some church are good at business management, some are not...but that is the nature of business. Whoever is the true church...only God knows. Bottom line: Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, give to God what belongs to God.