Taxing the Churches

The Secular Party of Australia estimates that the cost of religion in Australia is at least $30 billion a year.

Religious institutions receive many exemptions and benefits.  They don’t pay payroll tax, stamp duty or GST.

It’s time to end the rort!

Organised religions are in a privileged position in our society.  The Australian Tax Office considers the ‘advancement of religion’ as a justifiable reason to grant them charity status and tax exemptions.

Religions take full advantage of this and use their status to amass huge amounts of money that isn’t properly accounted for as their books are quite often closed to public scrutiny.

It really is time to review their charity status and, unless a church can show that their work is for the public benefit, that status should be removed and the money should be taxed.

The challenge for us is to recognise where religion is:

• doing ‘charity’ work
• taking advantage of our current taxes laws
• making huge profits
• not contributing to society as responsible corporate citizens

If you run a business, then you have to be prepared to pay your share of the tax.

Australia needs a Charities Commission, an organisation that would monitor and supervise non-profit organisations to ensure that the work they are undertaking is really for public benefit.

Your support of the Secular Party will allow us to pursue the true separation of church and state, an issue that needs correcting and one we are long over due for.