the controversy surrounding this issue has already been cleared by the lagos state govt.
so what's the point in all these show of angst?

Ok. Let's run with that for now. So, you are asking if I am in favour of tax exempt status for non-profits because YOU somehow believe it is in the favor of churches?

i meant a tax on sales and profits from books and whatever churches sell?

Some of that so called personal income comes from the revenue generated by the church. it funds the life sytle. To me that should be taxable benefits.
if u drive a company car u get taxed on the benefit. the same rule should apply.

I agree implementation and enforcement is key. But the organisations should met the govt half way by complying. getting up and taking the Initiative.

I totally agree with the Lagos State Govt that church workers and pastors should be taxed,and that they should be further taxed for books, cds and other materials they sell.These materials are not given out free of charge, a certain sum of money is usually paid for them so if that is not trade i honestly don't what it is.

Alot of our churches have become money making buisnesses/ventures especially the pentecostal ones (no offence meant to people of this sect) and it is really appaling how Jesus Christ and the message of salvation has taken a back seat in our present day christianity.Am sure The Good Lord looks down from heaven with a broken heart on the way and manner in which the church conducts itself today.

I hope the court rules in favour of the govt, so revenue generated from taxing the church will be put to good use for the benefit of every one resident in the state.With Fashola am certain the money will be put to good use

That is ridiculous. I agree that they should be taxed on their personal income but the church should not be charged. Do they pay taxes on tithe and offering? Why then should they be taxed for another means of raising money. Makes no sense to me

bawomolo:

i meant a tax on sales and profits from books and whatever churches sell?

But, I have from the beginning stated I am against non-profits being taxed on the money they raise for operating costs.
Maybe I need to explain further with an example for you to understand what I have been saying all this while.

I used to work with a nonprofit a couple of years ago. The organization got donations which were in turn sold to raise money for paying of organization bills, wages, cost of operation etc. I am against the government deciding to tax that money thereby reducing the effectiveness of the organization in carrying out its goals in the community.

Nonprofits such as amnesty international, Red Cross, PBS do not pay taxes on money raised to cover operation costs. Now, when these non profits pay wages (personal income) to employees, employees pay taxes on the money earned (income tax). Now this is the way I believe the federal tax law in Nigeria currently works, and there are other guidelines, I believe on what money qualifies for tax exemption and what does not, in much the same way we have it here in the US( please consult the posts on IRS rules on tax exemptions on page 2).

So, I have no reason why I would want to vote to change that because I believe that non-profits(churches, mosques, charities etc) should have a way to raise enough money for at least their daily expenses.

yommyuk:

Some of that so called personal income comes from the revenue generated by the church. it funds the life sytle. To me that should be taxable benefits.
if u drive a company car u get taxed on the benefit. the same rule should apply.

Of course personal income comes from the revenue generated by the church. Where else do you think the church would get money to pay the pastors, the workers and pay for all the building projects, pay electricity bill, teachers etc. Wage itself, no matter the source is personal income. COME ON!!!!

yommyuk:

I agree implementation and enforcement is key. But the organisations should met the govt half way by complying. getting up and taking the Initiative.

Going by the governor’s statement, it seems the problem is not really a problem after all. If you read the beginning article, the pastor in that case does not deny the fact that personal income ought to be taxed as that is the law. So he does agree with the governor. The bible does not exempt pastors from paying taxes on personal income, so yes, it is up to the government to make sure all those who do not pay up face the consequences.

It is a sad day indeed when Nigeria's miracle pastors, who are by definition accountable ONLY to God, now find themselves stooping so low as to seek protection in the court system used by mere mortals, in the hopes of continuing to evade Lagos State income taxes.

Can we deduce from this ugly trend that our miracle pastors are not direct, anointed descendants of Jeeeesus, contrary to what they claim repeatedly while relieving their congregations of cash ?   Just as soon as I can get this gun to work properly, I intend to commit suicide so as to seek an appointment with the Almighty, at which time I shall demand an explanation about why Lagos state is so anxious for a share of God's money stash, whose only rightful and righteous place is in Swiss bank accounts controlled by the Holy Shepherds.

so yes, it is up to the government to make sure all those who do not pay up face the consequences.

Absolutely
And if the pastors don't pay - sent them to kirikiri

yommyuk:

so yes, it is up to the government to make sure all those who do not pay up face the consequences.

Absolutely
And if the pastors don't pay - sent them to kirikiri

Yommy I know you did not intend to utter the above blasphemous and sacrilegious words, so I am praying for your soul right now, BUT, to guarantee your salvation, please make out a check that will empty all your bank accounts, and deliver that heavenly fine to the pastor of your choice this Sunday.   Praise the Lord !

[b]Yommy I know you did not intend to utter the above blasphemous and sacriligeous words, so I am praying for your soul right now, BUT, to guarantee your salvation, please make out a check that will empty all your bank accounts, and deliver that heavelnly fine to the pastor of your choice this Sunday. Praise the Lord !

[/b]who is this
May the words of ur mouth and meditations of ur heart against me come to no avail in JESUS NAME.
I pray that the foolishness of your utterance towards me not turn against u in JESUS NAME
I Pray the holy spirt will flood light into the darkness of ur heart and foolishness of ur soul in JESUS NAME.

Nobody is above the law. be u pastor, Bishop, deacon, or whatever.
If the law states pay tax u comply. Give unto caesars what is caesars and unto to the lord what is the lord
POSTER - if u are a pastor or a church worker u better start paying ur dues if not the spirit of MALACHI may come into ur bank account also.
Please pay up bros

yommyuk:

[b]Yommy I know you did not intend to utter the above blasphemous and sacrilegious words, so I am praying for your soul right now, BUT, to guarantee your salvation, please make out a check that will empty all your bank accounts, and deliver that heavenly fine to the pastor of your choice this Sunday. Praise the Lord !

[/b]who is this
May the words of ur mouth and meditations of ur heart against me come to no avail in JESUS NAME.
I pray that the foolishness of your utterance towards me not turn against u in JESUS NAME
I Pray the holy spirt will flood light into the darkness of ur heart and foolishness of ur soul in JESUS NAME.

Nobody is above the law. be u pastor, Bishop, deacon, or whatever.
If the law states pay tax u comply. Give unto caesars what is caesars and unto to the lord what is the lord
POSTER - if u are a pastor or a church worker u better start paying ur dues if not the spirit of MALACHI may come into ur bank account also.
Please pay up bros

Can I take this to mean that you don't plan to hand your life savings to the nearest miracle church ? How then do you expect Holy Messengers such as our beloved Pastor Eunuch to fuel their new Gulfstream4 private jets, which are so urgently needed for those weekly visits to God and His bankers in Zurich ?

Before you answer this question, please remember that DISCOUNT SALVATION can also be purchased more affordably for budget-conscious applicants, simply by visiting your nearest miracle church, where you may conveniently purchase God's official endorsement with your American Express or Visa card, if you are not comfortable with the idea of handing over a personal check to those shifty-eyed bible-thumpers.

Churches are supposed to be treated as charitable organization but do they act as such in Nigeria?
i fault everyone of us, some people are shouting here with their personal business do they pay a dime?
But then i wont blame them as such, because the environment is harsh, they are trying to cope in that unfriendly climate and get the business on their feet, who is talking tax then?
Some of us that work so hard and pay tax, where is this money going
Do you see anything tangible at the end of the day
Is it the most simple things, road , water, power, health
what then do we expect?
The churches become a shadow of the society
the man of God has a vision to reach souls and all that, he starts out well along the line the need to expand for the sake of the kingdom is apparent
soon he has a primary school, Secondary School, University, Hospitals
u name it, they say ''it is our own, it is our own, we built it''
as a member of the church is it really your own?
you and i know better
may God help our country

Much of what is going on in this thread is sheer blasphemy. We must not misconstrue our
freedom of speech to mean freedom to blaspheme without eternal consequences. Let's
be wise now.

yommyuk:

Absolutely
And if the pastors don't pay - sent them to kirikiri

Well, since it is law. Nothing, I repeat, nothing has so far stopped government from doing just that for all these years. So you see, it is not the pastors that are at fault here but the government for not carrying out it's duties. I mean definitely even a murderer will put up a fight to resist serving out the punishment for his crimes. We have heard of world class criminals who are caught red handed hiring lawyers to fight their cases in court. No big deal. The point here is, the law already exists that requires pastors, and church workers pay taxes on their personal income, and so, if they are not paying it, there is no need for the government to discuss it or even have it blow up the way it did to the extent that the media distorted it by injecting unnecessary rumours into it all. All the government had to do with arrest them and charge the culprits, just as it would any private citizen.

George_D:

Much of what is going on in this thread is sheer blasphemy. We must not misconstrue our
freedom of speech to mean freedom to blaspheme without eternal consequences. Let's
be wise now.

Please do not turn this into one more useless thread here on nairaland!

We really need to separate religion from BUSINESS. I don't understand why a church would sell books, CDs and tapes, make profit and won't expect to pay tax. I mean, the only form of income that is not taxable to such bodies is DONATIONS, which includes offerings, so called tithes and other "pastors offerings".
If you have a product, attach a price tag to it and collect hard-earned money from citizens, you had better pay your darn tax. Whether it is a Bible you sell or "48 Laws of Power"

@George_D, You need to open your mind to the things happening around you. What ill does anyone on this thread speak against God? We are rightly trying to point out the EVIL that a lot of pastors are perpetrating in the so-called places of worship. Have you seen the mighty office complexes, residential apartments that these pastors COLLECT RENT from?
IF YOU DO BUSINESS IN THE LAND, PAY YOUR DUES TO THE LAND.

sojioguns:

@George_D, You need to open your mind to the things happening around you. What ill does anyone on this thread speak against God? We are rightly trying to point out the EVIL that a lot of pastors are perpetrating in the so-called places of worship. Have you seen the mighty office complexes, residential apartments that these pastors COLLECT RENT from?
IF YOU DO BUSINESS IN THE LAND, PAY YOUR DUES TO THE LAND.

Sho y'right !

sojuiguns you are contradicting yourself up and down. No one said the pastor should not pay taxes. They should. The church should not. If there is a piece of land in the churches name then that is the churches land and if they collect rent from the churches property then that is the churches money. If the pastor collects income from the money realized he should pay taxes on it. If a plane is bought in the name of the pastor then he will pay taxes anything short of that is evasion. It is very simple. You are confusing yourself by making it sound complicated.

Outstrip:

sojuiguns you are contradicting yourself up and down. No one said the pastor should not pay taxes. They should. The church should not. If there is a piece of land in the churches name then that is the churches land and if they collect rent from the churches property then that is the churches money. If the pastor collects income from the money realized he should pay taxes on it. If a plane is bought in the name of the pastor then he will pay taxes anything short of that is evasion. It is very simple. You are confusing yourself by making it sound complicated.

who says the church should not?

Tax exempt status is a privilege and not a right. Nigerian Mega Churches seem to have evolved past the charity stage. What charity or community development do they do?

bawomolo:

who says the church should not?

Tax exempt status is a privilege and not a right. Nigerian Mega Churches seem to have evolved past the charity stage. What charity or community development do they do?

But even if it is a privilegde, it is a status given them ALL NON-PROFITS. Are you saying you would Rather Organizations such as the REDCROSS, Amnesty International, PBS also be made to pay taxes on money raised through sales of one form or another? Or is this to you just a church thing, because I am trying hard to figure out why you continue to pretend you do not understand why they have that status. I am really starting to feel this is just about churches to you, and nothing more.

Kobojunkie:

But even if it is a privilegde, it is a status given them ALL NON-PROFITS. Are you saying you would Rather Organizations such as the REDCROSS, Amnesty International, PBS also be made to pay taxes on money raised through sales of one form or another? Or is this to you just a church thing, because I am trying hard to figure out why you continue to pretend you do not understand why they have that status. I am really starting to feel this is just about churches to you, and nothing more.

Of course they should pay if they are shown to provide little or no community development.  I could care less if it was Guru Maraji's shrine being forced to pay taxes.

There is nothing that stops us from breaking the charitable organizations and NGOs into smaller groups for tax purposes. We are not required to treat the red cross the same way as churches. Nigeria's tax laws should be formulated in the context of Nigeria.

Kobojunkie:

Please do not turn this into one more useless thread here on nairaland!

I don't know what you mean by 'useless' but all I'm trying to do is advise some restraint at the
way some people here see this as an opportunity to lash back at otherwise God fearing pastors
doing service to the kingdom.
Not all pastors are 'businessmen' as some tend to imply. So, how does the issue of taxes come
into this?

I lost track of the main issues here long ago thanks to kobojunkie.

but I can guess his/her general gist- touch not my anointed.

Abi. The only thing some people seem to talk about is the 'flashy' cars and the jets of
supposed dubious pastors. That unfortunately is their reality but it is a very sad one
indeed.

biina:

There is nothing that stops us from breaking the charitable organizations and NGOs into smaller groups for tax purposes. We are not required to treat the red cross the same way as churches. Nigeria's tax laws should be formulated in the context of Nigeria.

thank you, tax exempt status should be treated on a case by case basis.

All the government had to do with arrest them and charge the culprits, just as it would any private citizen.
@ Kobojunkie
It seems we are saying the same thing we are just coming from different angles.
just 2 finish off, The so called men of God should lead by example by doing the right thing.
probably that is just wishful thinking on my part

@ Jakumo
i now seem to get ur gist.

All the Christ-haters seem to be closing ranks now. But I've got news for you:
though hand join in hand, the wicked will not go unpunished.
We've seen this repeat itself several times over.

George_D:

All the Christ-haters seem to be closing ranks now. But I've got news for you:
though hand join in hand, the wicked will not go unpunished.
We've seen this repeat itself several times over.

Why are you trying to make this into a Christianity issue? will it not also affect the muslims?
Do not confuse Christianity with religion. Not everyone that calls himself a pastor is truly doing the work of God.
While there are those genuinely working for God, most work for their own selfish ends, and see it as a way out of unemployment. Otherwise, how do you explain the fact that despite there being a church on almsot every street, we are still a nation wallowing in sin, with corruption pervading every area of our society.
Should we now say that any criminal that calls himself a pastor can no longer be scrutinized?
All religious institutions, like any other above board establishment, should provide details of their account to the government, and should be taxed when necessitated by the law.
Christianity should not encourage secrecy, that should be left to the cultist.