Milo:
The tax-exempt status of the Church of Scientology has been a matter of contention since it gained it in the early 50s. Through extensive litigation against the IRS, the organization has been able to retain its tax-free status. That may soon change.
The Church of Scientology has been central to Hollywood’s power structure, with many among its ranks counting themselves in the upper echelons of the movie industry.
According to the Huffington Post, private tweets from a Trump family friend and a top official in the Department of Housing and Urban Development claim that Trump and his family “couldn’t agree more” that the so-called church should lose its tax-exempt status.
“From The moment I saw your series I told President Trump & his family we needed to revoke their tax exempt status. They couldn’t agree more, but please don’t publicize that yet,” Lynne Patton wrote to actress Leah Remini in the messages obtained and publicized by HuffPost. “This is going to get done in the next 4 years or I’ll die trying. Knock on wood!”
As The Hill states, Patton is a friend and business associate of the Trump family who has worked with them since 2009. Last year, Patton spoke in favor of Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention.
Remini, a former member of the Church of Scientology, has been an outspoken critic against the Hollywood celebrity religion, of which many prominent actors and actresses are a part of—including Tom Cruise and John Travolta. Actress Elizabeth Moss, best known for her role as the main character in the feminist TV series The Handmaid’s Tale, is a member, as is former That ‘70s Show alumni Danny Masterson.
The organization has reportedly used its influence to protect individuals like Danny Masterson, who has been accused of multiple rapes by fellow Scientologists, from prosecution by the law.
Adherents of Scientology are banned from reporting other Scientologists to law enforcement, as the action is considered a “suppressive act” and can lead to immediate expulsion from the organization that many pay tens of thousands of dollars to be a part of. read more
CULT
No organizations should be tax exempt.
They are bat-crap crazy to be sure. But the idea of taxing a faith, any “faith”, I don’t like that. If the Fed’s can take away the 1st amendment they can take away the 2nd.
Although I question the entire ‘church’ aspect of this organization I think a higher priority is the safety of those imprisoned by it and the conviction of those breaking the law. And thanks Clinton government for making Scientology tax-exempt.
@ Pelopidas, since when does the first amendment guarantee a tax exemption?
The people of Clearwater, FL would be overjoyed. It’s sort of their headquarters here, and they take up a big chunk of the “downtown”…creepy people.
From what I’ve read about them, these bastards are nearly as crazy as the Muslimes.
Scientology today, Mohammadism tomorrow! That should drain the hollywood swamp and the democrat swamp.
The IRS should not have the “power” to grant tax exemption or anything else!
BTW — anyone hear the idiot basketball player/shoplifter call PDJT “President of the federal government?”
Forget Satan and Cthulhu, HAIL ZIMU!
If his automated prison hasn’t had any guards in the last few million years, Zimu should finally be able to break out, and wreak vengeance on all those ungrateful Thetans!
XEMU FORGIVE ME!
I misspelled your Name!
I blame the evil Thetan that possesses my body!
CATHOLIC CULT CHURCH
…sits on an estimated $15-$18 BILLION just in cash. We are not even counting the LAND the Vatican sits on, or the priceless works of art, silver/gold ornaments, and historical documents/artifacts.
Yet, tax exempt.
While 1/2 the planet lives in poverty and starves, the people who follow a penniless carpenter sit on a dragon’s lair of gold.
CULT!
Just Al, ‘the power to tax is the power to destroy’; the State has ZERO business in taxing religion. 1st amendment provides for freedom on Religion. Now if Larry Flint wants to argue the power to tax his business is the power to destroy his business (freedom of the Press) I would be very interested in how that turns out.
But the press is unlike faith in regards to what the libtards love to quote; that being Jefferson’s “Wall of Separation”. That ‘sacred wall’ will be breached if the state is granted the authority to tax faiths.
Scientology is bat crap crazy. There are other faiths that are seen as bat-crap crazy. Atheists see all ‘faith’ as being crazy to one degree or another. I don not want some unaccountable government bureaucrat working out issues he or she has with their parents who forced them to go to whatever church on whatever day and now that he or she sits in the seat of power they can strip that tax exempt status from the faith.
Scientology reminds me of Islam minus the clitorectome’s.
TO JustAl and HAP
SO: you’re saying The State should have the POWER
to CONFISCATE whatever amount of wealth
the Churches have…I do believe that was covered
under The First Amendment…as a no-no.
The article is misleading. Scientology gained tax-exempt status only in 1993, not the 50’s.
Pelopidas, by your reasoning the government should not be able to tax newspapers, television, radio, guns, ammunition, or any personal property, or anything else mentioned in the Constitution. There is ZERO reason religion should be treated any differently than ANY other Constitutionally guaranteed right.
Czar, I said tax, not confiscate. Today many of the “main stream” Christian churches are OPENLY working to undermine our national sovereignty by political and monetary means. Hiding behind a pulpit is no reason not to “render unto Caesar”.
This should be of interest ….
https://albertmohler.com/2015/09/14/belief-behind-the-headlines-a-conversation-with-mark-oppenheimer/
Shut Scientology down. Sooner = better.
Scientology. Cult religion of The Deep State.
I read the book Going Clear. It turns out that the way Scientology got tax exempt status in the first place was to use their network of attorneys within the cult to file thousands of individual lawsuits against the IRS. The IRS had nowhere enough legal staff to handle all of the lawsuits, and eventually cried uncle.