This is only even an issue for people who are employees and receive a paycheck. For people who have their own business, like say a farmer, paying tithing on gross income is simply impossible. A farmer has spectacularly high expenses in creating that gross income. In a bad year, the expenses will exceed that gross income. Paying 10% on the gross income would be absurd.
That said, quite a few people are employees with a paycheck. The unwritten rule is for them to pay on gross, but I imagine there is a fair amount of picking and choosing. If the person has significant expenses in earning that paycheck, they might deduct that from gross income.
I'm pretty certain nobody pays tithing on the amount they receive from their employer in paid health insurance. That is now reported on US W-2 forms, and it is a significant piece of change, typically in the five to ten thousand dollar range. True, the employee never sees that money directly, but they don't see the money withheld for income or SStaxes either, but they are expected to pay tithing on that.
My point is that everyone, including paycheck employees, pick and choose what they pay tithing on.
My TBM father was a full-tithe payer and his business suffered from it. What little profits he got went into the cult's coffers. Looking back I feel like he was swindled and he had too much pride to see the mistake he was making.
He's dead now and I'm sure he's on the other side yucking it up about how I'm going to hell for dropping out of the cult...or he's in the ground not thinking about anything...
I would argue that it's problematic even for those with paychecks. For instance, on my teacher's salary, there is no way that I could afford a gross or net 10% donation. It simply couldn't happen. I need all of my salary to cover basic expenses. I would think it's this way for many people.
I totally agree. People with low income or high medical expenses or a special needs child or any number of other issues can really be up against the wall financially.
And that's not even considering the current cratering of the economy.
I've heard it said that if U (wage earner) pay on your social security deductions, then U don't have to when you're on SS benefits.
then some wacko will say you should also tithe on your medical deductions; When you're a wacko Mormon, there is NO LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL.... '
This one is painful because my TBM is paying tithing on her social security benefits. She knows exactly how I feel about her cult but my whole family thinks I'm the idiot for leaving, so they don't have to listen to me.
before the Turn of the Century, it was said (in my ward) that you pay on what you feel is "Just and Honest with the Lord."
In 2003, that abruptly changed. You pay on Gross income, since you can take it as a tax write off. Whoever spoke it usually looked over their glasses when they said it.
I haven't paid since the Early 90s. Luckily they only got a few thousand from me in total. I think the collective damage I caused cancled out that nicely.
"Another day, another (hymn book, BOM, Bible) for the Stove."
I still have my fathers BOM printed pre WW2. He only Wrote one thing in the entire book. In Mosiah "In case of Fire: Throw this book in the fire."
Since I left in 2001 I was not around to hear the change in policy. I can just picture it my mind the "remove the glasses moment" when delivering the message.
My mission president expected us missionaries to pay out a tithing and fast offering of 20 dollars per month.
That's right. You had to prove to him that you paid 12.50 on your monthly church supplement of 125 (which he thought was MORE than enough- he told us every time) and a 7 dollar fast donation.
Anything less and you would be humiliated and shamed at every zone conference. He expected your pink (or yellow~ it's been 30 years already so I can't remember which one had to be turned in) copy to prove your obedience. This was done during the worthiness interviews with companionships.
The disobedients and cheap-skates (a 2 dollar fast would get you embarrassed) would be called up to the front. That was his style of leadership.
The fear of cheating god out of his money was forever ingrained in those tithing lessons. I suppose that I stopped attending before the new-order-mormon rationale moved it to net.
To be perfectly clear on the matter, Big Shot MORmON business operator people, like a Steve Young,or Mitt Romney, or Willard Marriott do NOT pay Ten Percent off of the top of whatever their businesses have coming in. .....ONLY stupid gullible regular MORmON members ..... those least able to afford such a thing.... are taking 10 percent off of the top of what they have coming in and paying that into the blood sucking MORmON church.
To be perfectly clear on the matter, biblical tithing is on INCREASE, NOT on yearly gross subsistence income in spite of self serving LIES that LDS Inc leaders tell on the matter, but bloodsucking LDS Inc will require and take that hefty exorbitant amount anyway, in the name of God, AS IF they were really entitled to it.
When Mitt ran for office his tax returns came out and it showed he was only paying 7-8% of what he had claimed for income.
Think about that for a second with all his investments he can choose how much to pay and he won't even follow the same rules but the whole entire state of Utah mormons voted this guy in because he's mormon.