http://bluebelldigital.co.uk/eastgrinsteadonline/2015/10/23/dutch-court-revokes-scientologys-tax-exempt-status/



I came across this as I was reading the news. The courts there ruled that selling their courses was a profit making enterprise like selling any other product.

Why didn't the American IRS make the same conclusion after giving them tax exempt status...

Shouldn't tithing also constitute as profit making unless the "non-profit" can account for every dime that is spent?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/2015 01:50AM by orange.

The Dutch on wise to the con, too bad our bureaucrats don't see it.

"are" wise

When are the bureaucrats going to wake up and smell the coffee? Or are they too afraid of being busted themselves?

madalice Wrote:
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> Or are they too afraid of being
> busted themselves?

^This. I also suspect money could be changing hands between corporate "churches" and politicians and it is lucrative enough that they don't want to lose it.

It's a fact. Especially in the 1990s, certain US politicians relied heavily on money and star power from Hollywood Scientologists to create an aura of humanity, decency, and success around their own sordid activities. Most prominent in shilling for these corrupt politicians was John Travolta, followed by Tom Cruise. The IRS, which is terrifying powerful in a legal sense but extremely weak politically, was forced to cave in and quit investigating the so-called "Church of Scientology."

That's sickening. So much for separation between church and state. Money talks.

Yesss!!!! Didn't France do the same not long ago?

I think this is the start of a trend in Europe.

Same thing happened in Britain a while back!

Hats off to the Brits, who also started taxing LDS temples as the private clubs they are!

Ah, I see you discussed this issue below far better than I could have managed. Hats off to you Brits!

The religtards in US politics are too scared their contributions will be cut if they go after the CULTS

The lds church loss their tax status in England for their temple in 2014.


http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/mormon-church-loses-english-temple-tax-fight-in-european-rights-ruling-9167688.html

Ordering the Mormon church to pay local property taxes on one of its English temples is not a breach of human rights, European judges have ruled.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a religious organisation registered as a private unlimited company in the UK, was told in 2005 that it was not exempt from paying business tax on its temple in Preston, Lancashire.

The church, part of the worldwide Mormon church, took its fight to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) after the House of Lords dismissed its appeal against the decision in 2008.

A panel of judges at the Strasbourg court has ruled that the denial of full rates exemption does not violate the church's members' rights to show their religious beliefs.

Around 180,000 Mormons live in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

The church has two temples in the UK, with one in London as well as the one in Preston. Only the most devout members of the church, who hold a "recommend" status, are entitled to enter the temples.

The House of Lords ruled that the Preston temple was not qualified as a "place of public religious worship" since access was restricted to this select group.

All the church's places of worship that are open to the public, such as chapels, have the benefit of the full exemption from rates.

The temple, which is not open to the public, does not attract the full exemption, but does benefit from an 80 per cent reduction in rates in view of its use for charitable purposes.

The church complained that the refusal amounted to discrimination on religious grounds, in breach of Articles 14 and 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

"The House of Lords ruled that the Preston temple was not qualified as a "place of public religious worship"

So, the House of Lords ruled against the House of the Lord? :-)

Thank the Lords. lol

Brilliant!

The Mormon church never had been tax exempt for its two temples but when Preston temple was built they tried again. For religious buildings in Britain to be tax exempt they must be open to the general public. The times of services must be displayed publicly and anyone must be able to attend the services! The Temple obviously doesnt meet those standards!

In the U.S. any limitation on any religion (except, of course, the Muslim religion) would be called "A War on Religion."

Why not the Muslims???

bordergirl Wrote:
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> In the U.S. any limitation on any religion
> (except, of course, the Muslim religion) would be
> called "A War on Religion."

Answering SII's question, which was about the above quote:

Human beings, especially in groups (like countries, or religions), often see the world in terms of "us" and "them"---though the "them" can change.

For example: during World War II, Japan and the Japanese people were (from our standpoint as Americans) "them"...

...although since World War II ended, Japan and the Japanese people are now our good friends, economically as well as militarily.

At the present time, and for many people in this country, Muslims and Islam are considered "them" by many people---so THEY (Muslims and Islam) are the exception right now.

Great news! It's such a nasty crazy-making cult.

As far as I know, France never gave them tax-free status in the first place (please correct me if I'm wrong...).

The French state is pretty suspicious of religions in general ;-)

Hope you're all enjoying a great weekend.

Tom in Paris
(where the autumn sunshine has been beautiful on my liquidambar...)

Well thank you, the weather has been beautiful here as well.

Yay for the Dutch!!! (The Dutch have pretty much always been among the MOST sensible people at any given point in history, at least for the last several centuries.)

Now that the Dutch have done this, it will be easier to get the same decision in other EU countries.

And I am wiped (but we now have a PRISTINE shed, or at least as pristine as it is ever going to get!!!)...

...so G'night everyone..."see" you tomorrow!!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/25/2015 01:08AM by tevai.

There was a SCOTUS case involving Scientology and "auditing
fees."

Auditing, in Scientology, is when you sit with an "auditor" who
runs you through a bunch of questions while you are hooked to a
rudimentary "lie detector" called an "E-meter." This is
supposed to rid your mind of harmful engrams.

SCOTUS ruled that since a set fee is charged for each auditing
session that it does not qualify as a charitable contribution.
It is quid-pro-quo payment for services rendered.

LDS tithing, on the other hand, qualifies as a charitable
contribution, since it is not quid-pro-quo payment for services
rendered. True, you have to pay it to be allowed into the
Temple, but you are not charged a fee for each session you
attend. If you are a full tithepayer, you can attend five
sessions a day without being charged anything extra (in the
last couple of years of his life my TBM father did just that--I
called it cramming for finals).

Although being a full tithe-payer is required for temple
attendance, it's not something that you pay for piecemeal. To
SCOTUS, that made a difference regarding Scientology.

I found a Scientology price list on the sidewalk once. That stuff is expensive! Not to mention worthless.

Please watch "Going Clear" for the reason why the Church of Scientology is not paying taxes.

The Scientologists Owed a Billion in taxes and they bullied the IRS through a form of legal blackmail until the IRS relented and they were given tax-exempt status.

Now think about how much more powerful the mormon cult is and all of the mormons who are currently working within the IRS - not to mention the army of lawyers the mormons could summon if needed.

THe tax-exempt status thing in the U.S. will not go away until the law (and perhaps the constitution) change. I, for one, would love to see that happen but it would take a large fundamental shift in the government for it to work.

Add Sweden to your list of countries standing up to the illegal activities of the Mormon Corporation. We are taking action there as well as continued action in the UK.

With European countries such as UK, France, Netherlands, Germany and Sweden challenging the illegal activities of the Mormon Corporation, there will eventually be major success.

Then, maybe, the US will at long last take action. There already is legislation in place in the US to prosecute the Mormon Corporation but, as said above the 'separation' clause is used too often and inappropriately.

Freedom of Religion was never meant to be 'freedom for religions to break the law'.

Also the 'separation' clause is two way, yet it seems to only be interpreted one way. The religions tell the government to stay out of their affairs, yet religions expend millions influencing politics and legislation.

The church, over a very short period, has successfully reinvented itself, become more mainstream, skillfully controls the issuing and content of potentially damaging media within the public domain, and through its army of attorneys and contacts in high places, has managed to avoid the potentially damaging consequences of very public and major legal action.
As far as it's continuing operations and future existence is concerned, it appears to be winning on all relevant fronts.

Scientology became tax exempt by suing individual IRS agents (thousands of them -- frivolous nuisance lawsuits), set up a whistleblower group against the IRS, and by using private investigators to collect dirt on higher-ups, and infiltrating the agency. Conspiracy theory? No -- Mary Sue Hubbard went to JAIL for these efforts in the 7o's, and L. Ron Hubbard, the founder, was found to be an 'unindicted co-conspirator' who lived on the lamb until he died, to avoid being served. Scientologists quite literally INFILTRATED federal government agencies as directed by higher-ups in Scientology's 'Guardian Organization or GO'. They bugged offices where meetings were held pertaining to the tax exempt case, and closely monitored the IRS's case against tax exemption, photocopying documents and forwarding them to their LA headquarters; all of this is well documented in Operation Snow White -- just google it.

"Shouldn't tithing also constitute as profit making unless the "non-profit" can account for every dime that is spent?"

The church does account for every dime spent; they just don't make it public.

Any money spent in perpetuation of their business (er, I mean religion) should be taxed. Buildings, real estate, maintenance and janitorial, missionaries, supplies, etc. ARE NOT CHARITY. That is what other businesses have to pay for without getting a tax break.

If they do straight up charity (no Bibles, price lists, or BOMs) in sight, fine. That's a deduction.

Public itemized reports for the charity work should be scrutinized to determine if it is actually charity or proselytizing expense.

I hope more countries tighten down on this fraud dressed up as charity.

All I can say is way to go Netherlands and

.........Hip Hip HOORAY

.........May it set a PRECIDENT for the whole wide world