Post by Sapphire Capital on Aug 4, 2008 4:18:58 GMT 4
Govt is right on taxation of religious organisations
EDITOR of MMEGI
July 29, 2008
The announcement that government will soon tax religious organisations should be welcome though the discomfort with government's dabbling in the financial issues of religious organisations is understandable.
After all, cathedrals, temples and mosques have always been important to the development of society as they cater for the upkeep and needs of the spiritual and the worldly. Pastors and Imams are always available for those who have been forgotten in our society. Poor people may be forgotten and live in the streets but religious organisations can always be relied upon to provide them with succuor. The organisations are engaged in various charitable work to help the needy. These include providing the poor with food, shelter, clothing and counselling.
Churches have built schools and become partners with communities in helping to develop our country into a modern state. Such schools as St Joseph's College and Mater Spei remain icons in our country's education system as they have been for years. Churches built hospitals from the meagre finances they had and assisted government in offering medical services to our people.
Religious organisations will always be central to this country's development. It was out of the exalted position that society saw to it that the financial dealings of the religious institutions would not become the business of government. There was no need at the time to meddle in the financial affairs of the organisations. They proved capable in handling their own finances. They proved that they could be trusted to extract the most benefit out of the smallest of financial resources.
However it seems a number of religious organisations have lost direction and no longer follow what made them exalted and sacred. It is now general knowledge that some religious organisations seem to have become nothing but vehicles for the benefit of certain individuals. Churches have turned into businesses. Mosques have become citadels of financial dealings. Preachers have lost focus and are now more interested in narrow material needs.
To add insult to injury, many churches have now turned to propagating strict tithing regimes in their congregations. Poor families donate their meagre savings to church coffers under mysterious circumstances. We now know that millions of Pula are siphoned off across the borders to individuals without any accounting. We watch as more and more churches deny their members the benefits of infrastructural development despite the money they accumulate. This is a worrying situation. The government has made the right decision to move in and arrest the situation which is definitely headed for disaster.
It is incumbent upon government to protect the interests of society in general. The only way the unsuspecting citizen can be protected from unscrupulous individuals masquerading as pastors and Imams is through enforcement of ethical financial dealings.
This should further give real religious organisations the legitimacy they so crave by removing the chaff. We think government is well within its mandate to tax religious organisations.
Today's Thought
"Every church must put its treasures into a safe-deposit box and issue common money, a common money of love, which we need so much"
- Athenagoras I quotes
EDITOR of MMEGI
July 29, 2008
The announcement that government will soon tax religious organisations should be welcome though the discomfort with government's dabbling in the financial issues of religious organisations is understandable.
After all, cathedrals, temples and mosques have always been important to the development of society as they cater for the upkeep and needs of the spiritual and the worldly. Pastors and Imams are always available for those who have been forgotten in our society. Poor people may be forgotten and live in the streets but religious organisations can always be relied upon to provide them with succuor. The organisations are engaged in various charitable work to help the needy. These include providing the poor with food, shelter, clothing and counselling.
Churches have built schools and become partners with communities in helping to develop our country into a modern state. Such schools as St Joseph's College and Mater Spei remain icons in our country's education system as they have been for years. Churches built hospitals from the meagre finances they had and assisted government in offering medical services to our people.
Religious organisations will always be central to this country's development. It was out of the exalted position that society saw to it that the financial dealings of the religious institutions would not become the business of government. There was no need at the time to meddle in the financial affairs of the organisations. They proved capable in handling their own finances. They proved that they could be trusted to extract the most benefit out of the smallest of financial resources.
However it seems a number of religious organisations have lost direction and no longer follow what made them exalted and sacred. It is now general knowledge that some religious organisations seem to have become nothing but vehicles for the benefit of certain individuals. Churches have turned into businesses. Mosques have become citadels of financial dealings. Preachers have lost focus and are now more interested in narrow material needs.
To add insult to injury, many churches have now turned to propagating strict tithing regimes in their congregations. Poor families donate their meagre savings to church coffers under mysterious circumstances. We now know that millions of Pula are siphoned off across the borders to individuals without any accounting. We watch as more and more churches deny their members the benefits of infrastructural development despite the money they accumulate. This is a worrying situation. The government has made the right decision to move in and arrest the situation which is definitely headed for disaster.
It is incumbent upon government to protect the interests of society in general. The only way the unsuspecting citizen can be protected from unscrupulous individuals masquerading as pastors and Imams is through enforcement of ethical financial dealings.
This should further give real religious organisations the legitimacy they so crave by removing the chaff. We think government is well within its mandate to tax religious organisations.
Today's Thought
"Every church must put its treasures into a safe-deposit box and issue common money, a common money of love, which we need so much"
- Athenagoras I quotes