Trump's 1st Big Chance on Free Speech & the IRC

[Fife]

So we should tax all other non-for-profits too?

The way the law is applied is obviously discriminatory and unconstitutional. Your freedom of speech ought not depend upon your tax status, and even if it does, it should apply to all not-for-profits.

But like I have said for years to you guys: go ahead and tax churches. You will get everything you deserve in the wake of that move. Nothing will hold us back then.

From what, inciting moral legislation, and provoking religious wars?

I'd laugh so fucking hard if the IRS got hold of "non-profit" church accounting ledgers.

Fetishism for the brownshirts is alive and well in 2017, we see. And still just as fucking perverted.

[Ex-California]

So we should tax all other non-for-profits too?

The way the law is applied is obviously discriminatory and unconstitutional. Your freedom of speech ought not depend upon your tax status, and even if it does, it should apply to all not-for-profits.

But like I have said for years to you guys: go ahead and tax churches. You will get everything you deserve in the wake of that move. Nothing will hold us back then.

Absolutely. There shouldn't be a distinction between non-profit and profit companies. If you want to have the rights of a citizen, you have to pay your taxes like citizens do.

Of course, it can be argued that it would actually be healthy to have no corporate taxes of any sort, and churches and non-profits would be included in this. However, the tradeoff to this would be new distinction that separates these entities from any personhood.

You can't have it both ways

[Speaker to Animals]

So we should tax all other non-for-profits too?

The way the law is applied is obviously discriminatory and unconstitutional. Your freedom of speech ought not depend upon your tax status, and even if it does, it should apply to all not-for-profits.

But like I have said for years to you guys: go ahead and tax churches. You will get everything you deserve in the wake of that move. Nothing will hold us back then.

Absolutely. There shouldn't be a distinction between non-profit and profit companies. If you want to have the rights of a citizen, you have to pay your taxes like citizens do.

Of course, it can be argued that it would actually be healthy to have no corporate taxes of any sort, and churches and non-profits would be included in this. However, the tradeoff to this would be new distinction that separates these entities from any personhood.

You can't have it both ways

What do you pay taxes on? There is no profit.

When the IRS taxes a corporation, they tax gross profit. Do you understand this and what that would imply for a tax on a church (i.e. zero taxes)?

[Ex-California]

So we should tax all other non-for-profits too?

The way the law is applied is obviously discriminatory and unconstitutional. Your freedom of speech ought not depend upon your tax status, and even if it does, it should apply to all not-for-profits.

But like I have said for years to you guys: go ahead and tax churches. You will get everything you deserve in the wake of that move. Nothing will hold us back then.

Absolutely. There shouldn't be a distinction between non-profit and profit companies. If you want to have the rights of a citizen, you have to pay your taxes like citizens do.

Of course, it can be argued that it would actually be healthy to have no corporate taxes of any sort, and churches and non-profits would be included in this. However, the tradeoff to this would be new distinction that separates these entities from any personhood.

You can't have it both ways

What do you pay taxes on? There is no profit.

My wages are my profit and I pay taxes on that. A shitload.

[Speaker to Animals]

Absolutely. There shouldn't be a distinction between non-profit and profit companies. If you want to have the rights of a citizen, you have to pay your taxes like citizens do.

Of course, it can be argued that it would actually be healthy to have no corporate taxes of any sort, and churches and non-profits would be included in this. However, the tradeoff to this would be new distinction that separates these entities from any personhood.

You can't have it both ways

What do you pay taxes on? There is no profit.

My wages are my profit and I pay taxes on that. A shitload.

Yeah, that's income tax. Corporate taxes are applied to gross profit. Do you understand that churches have no gross profit?

[Ex-California]

What do you pay taxes on? There is no profit.

My wages are my profit and I pay taxes on that. A shitload.

Yeah, that's income tax. Corporate taxes are applied to gross profit. Do you understand that churches have no gross profit?

In theory, yes. In practice? You have to be kidding me if you think they're not profiting.

The NFL was a non-profit until recently, do you think there was no gross profit there? How about PETA?

[Ex-California]

Once again, simplify the tax code. Basic income tax for all

[Speaker to Animals]

My wages are my profit and I pay taxes on that. A shitload.

Yeah, that's income tax. Corporate taxes are applied to gross profit. Do you understand that churches have no gross profit?

In theory, yes. In practice? You have to be kidding me if you think they're not profiting.

The NFL was a non-profit until recently, do you think there was no gross profit there? How about PETA?

I am not kidding you. Either you don't know much about how churches work, or you don't understand what profit means.

[Ex-California]

In accounting, gross profit, gross margin, sales profit, or credit sales is the difference between revenue and the cost of making a product or providing a service, before deducting overheads, payroll, taxation, and interest payments. This is different from operating profit (earnings before interest and taxes). Gross margin is the term normally used in the U.S.,[1] while gross profit is the more common usage in the UK and Australia.

Many, many churches have gross profit according to that definition; if you think that every single church spends every single penny they collect on providing their services you're wearing blinders.

Granted, I probably agree with you that the vaunted $71 billion to be earned from taxing churches is probably bullshit since they'd just write everything off as an expense; my point is more about what I think should be a distinction between human persons and organizational "persons" and their attendant rights and privileges.

[Fife]

Who among us can present a cogent argument for any kind of income tax?