[News] Should The Church pay tax?

[Titanic]

As a business, any religion should pay tax. Churches are not charities. If they were they would not be able to discriminate over beneficiaries with respect to religion. Catholic schools expect pupils to be catholic, for example. Ergo, not a charity.

Unfortunately, if we want to give the CoE a tax free status then the laws dictate same rules for all the other heathans and devil worshippers. After careful consideration, I say, ****** the lot of them. All religions are cults, and many of them have an 'n' in place of the 'l'. Let them ALL pay tax!

Businesses are taxed on their profits. So, how much profit did the CofE make last year?

 

[essbee1]

Most churches? How many? As has been mentioned, a lot of buildings are listed, so have to be restored to a set specification.
Look at St Peters. You can't just nip to B&Q for a stone flying buttress.
There are the vicarages as well, and pensions for the ministers when they retire.



They do.

Like jakarta's wife, I used to be on a PCC, so know a little about church finances. It is only a little, though. They don't make profits, but do pay tax when paying the clergy, as in NI contributions, income tax and VAT.

I obviously don't have numbers - but every church you go into is moaning about lack of money for repairs - I just think the church should
do something about it since they are so wealthy and stop pretending they are poor. It's double standards.

 

[Baldseagull]

As a business, any religion should pay tax. Churches are not charities. If they were they would not be able to discriminate over beneficiaries with respect to religion. Catholic schools expect pupils to be catholic, for example. Ergo, not a charity.

Unfortunately, if we want to give the CoE a tax free status then the laws dictate same rules for all the other heathans and devil worshippers. After careful consideration, I say, ****** the lot of them. All religions are cults, and many of them have an 'n' in place of the 'l'. Let them ALL pay tax!

Catholic and CofE schools accept pupils of other religions. I think we should perhaps leave the subject of who should and should not pay Tax, considering Saint Tony's obligations in that area and the status in the UK of profits from gambling.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I obviously don't have numbers - but every church you go into is moaning about lack of money for repairs - I just think the church should
do something about it since they are so wealthy and stop pretending they are poor. It's double standards.

How many of the 16000 churches have you been to? Where have the churches pretended they are poor? I haven't personally heard any moaning about lack of money.

I just Googled Leprosy Mission as I know a lot of churches donate money to it. It's been running for 141 years and has practically wiped leprosy off the earth now. Here's the very first article that came up. A church in Epsom, not only donated to the Leprosy mission, but bought two oxen for families in Ethiopia because of the drought there.

http://www.stmartinsepsom.org/mission/4591993336

It has already been pointed out that the 'wealth' the church has is in assets, generating an income to be used for wages, repairs. If you sell off the assets, you wouldn't have any income at all.

Maybe you could pop down to St Peters and help out with the Night Shelter they're running, and listen out for any 'moans' about the cost of repairs being done.

 

[SAC]

Do Mosques pay taxes or are they exempt as well?

Exempt.

 

[Simster]

I'm agnostic, but I do recognise that the church does a lot of good and should therefore be a tax exempt charity. I think the "discrimination" argument used against the church is very flimsy. They don't discriminate who uses church facilities to shelter from the cold, they don't discriminate who uses church organised food banks, they don't discriminate who uses the church halls that are a lifeline to most communities.

However, I am far more sympathetic towards the view that "Chancel repair liability" should be abolished. In a modern society, it is disgraceful that this concept exists. It is one thing not to pay tax, but quite another to expect society at large to be told they are paying for the upkeep of these buildings because of archaic laws. The church should find its own way to maintain its buildings.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

However, I am far more sympathetic towards the view that "Chancel repair liability" should be abolished. In a modern society, it is disgraceful that this concept exists. It is one thing not to pay tax, but quite another to expect society at large to be told they are paying for the upkeep of these buildings because of archaic laws. The church should find its own way to maintain its buildings.

I'm more than sympathetic about abolishing this - it's immoral that the church expect other people to provide money to upkeep it's own property. The fact that the CoE have employed lawyers to try and track down any that they are missing is even more unacceptable.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I'm agnostic, but I do recognise that the church does a lot of good and should therefore be a tax exempt charity. I think the "discrimination" argument used against the church is very flimsy. They don't discriminate who uses church facilities to shelter from the cold, they don't discriminate who uses church organised food banks, they don't discriminate who uses the church halls that are a lifeline to most communities.

However, I am far more sympathetic towards the view that "Chancel repair liability" should be abolished. In a modern society, it is disgraceful that this concept exists. It is one thing not to pay tax, but quite another to expect society at large to be told they are paying for the upkeep of these buildings because of archaic laws. The church should find its own way to maintain its buildings.

A lot of churches would like nothing better than to move out of the old stone buildings that are hard to maintain. A lot of Free churches have converted warehouses, which are easy to clean and heat although not as beautiful.

Listed buildings come from Heritage England via the Secretary of State, and quite often the churches find it a burden.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

A lot of churches would like nothing better than to move out of the old stone buildings that are hard to maintain. A lot of Free churches have converted warehouses, which are easy to clean and heat although not as beautiful.

Listed buildings come from Heritage England via the Secretary of State, and quite often the churches find it a burden.

But to expect non-church members to provide the funds via a tax on their home that happens to be in the area of a church thanks to some ancient law isn't the right way to go about maintaining their buildings.It's a repugnant charge !

 

[Simster]

A lot of churches would like nothing better than to move out of the old stone buildings that are hard to maintain. A lot of Free churches have converted warehouses, which are easy to clean and heat although not as beautiful.

Listed buildings come from Heritage England via the Secretary of State, and quite often the churches find it a burden.

So massive old buildings cost a lot to run, who knew? Is that truism a mealy-mouthed defence of chancel repair liability?

 

[The red pepper kid]

I . Start taxing churches and you will end up with more and more converted into weatherspoons.

well win win then

 

[Thunder Bolt]

But to expect non-church members to provide the funds via a tax on their home that happens to be in the area of a church thanks to some ancient law isn't the right way to go about maintaining their buildings.It's a repugnant charge !

So massive old buildings cost a lot to run, who knew? Is that truism a mealy-mouthed defence of chancel repair liability?

I've never heard of chancel repair liability and it's not come up on any search where I've bought a house. I've just had to look it up. Does it apply to every parish or only certain ones?
I'm not a member of the CofE any more although I was for 26 years.

 

[Gazwag]

I've never heard of chancel repair liability and it's not come up on any search where I've bought a house. I've just had to look it up. Does it apply to every parish or only certain ones?

An insurance premium is usually paid when a house is new which gets transferred on each time the house is sold

 

[Simster]

I've never heard of chancel repair liability and it's not come up on any search where I've bought a house. I've just had to look it up. Does it apply to every parish or only certain ones?
I'm not a member of the CofE any more although I was for 26 years.

It depends on the age of your parish church:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-26373756

"Under chancel repair liability, homeowners living within the parishes of churches built before 1536 can be held liable for costs."

 

[Thunder Bolt]

It depends on the age of your parish church:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-26373756

"Under chancel repair liability, homeowners living within the parishes of churches built before 1536 can be held liable for costs."

Thanks. That would explain why as parishes I've lived in have been Victorian churches.

 

[Uncle C]

An insurance premium is usually paid when a house is new which gets transferred on each time the house is sold

Not quite.
I bought a small plot of land. My Solicitor neither warned me nor gave me the option of buying insurance against CRL. I took him to the Law Society for negligence and the case was thrown out. I can fully understand their taking that decision as its another PPI in the making. They cant afford to let the Genie out the bottle.

 

[sir albion]

Just turn all churches into flats and houses and abolish religion here.....
Happy days !!!

 

[Uncle C]

Let me explain why Church Councils are self serving.

It was they that recently registered official 'claims' for CRL on peoples documents at the Land Registry Office. They had a choice of making a 'claim' against any property in the Churches Glebe. Most of these people will obviously live within the Glebe, but chose not to register their own properties. And people wonder why the Church is called corrupt.

 

[SweatyMexican]

Why should the government favour one religion over another. If we give tax free status to Christianity then why not the people who worship the spaghetti monster.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Why should the government favour one religion over another. If we give tax free status to Christianity then why not the people who worship the spaghetti monster.

If the spaghetti monster church wants to apply for charity status, then I'm sure it would be granted. They would have to satisfy the Charities Commison's regulations, though.
Mosques and Templesare also exempt as they are classed as having charitable status, so Christianity isn't being favoured.