WTS Tax in France

doinmypart

From the 2006 Yearbook:

France: As reported in the 2001 Yearbook, the authorities applied a new tax against our brothers' donations, including back taxes for four years (1993-96) -- all at a crushing rate of 60 percent, plus penalties! The brothers appealed but lost at the lower, appellate, and supreme court levels. On February 25, 2005, they filed an application with the European Court of Human Rights, appealing on the basis of evident religious discrimination.

Notice the WTS' hypocritical words printed in the Watchtower:

*** w94 11/15 pp. 26-28 “If You Owe Taxes, Pay Taxes” ***
Unpleasant though the paying of taxes may be, this is an obligation that genuine Christians take very seriously. The apostle Paul wrote to the Christian congregation at Rome: “Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” (Romans 13:7, New International Version) And Jesus Christ was referring specifically to taxes when he said: “Pay back Caesar’s things to Caesar, but God’s things to God.”—Mark 12:14, 17.
...
Christians in Paul’s day knew well what he was talking about when he mentioned the paying of taxes. They knew that whether the taxes were reasonable or not, and regardless of how the government might spend this money, they had to pay whatever tax they owed. The same applies to Christians today.
...
Jehovah’s Witnesses ... enjoy a good reputation worldwide as being honest, taxpaying citizens...No true Christian would want to do anything that might taint this hard-won reputation.

What a bunch of hypocrites!

Where does this current appeal with the ECHR stand? Has a ruling been made?

Nosferatu

The only ones being persecuted are the goons at the WT headquarters. Waaaaaaaahhh!!!

Mary

Ya, here's another nice little comparison:

France: As reported in the 2001 Yearbook, the authorities applied a new tax against our brothers' donations, including back taxes for four years (1993-96) -- all at a crushing rate of 60 percent, plus penalties! The brothers appealed but lost at the lower, appellate, and supreme court levels. On February 25, 2005, they filed an application with the European Court of Human Rights, appealing on the basis of evident religious discrimination.

***

g74 2/22 p. 27 Should We Pay the Whole Tax? ***

How does the Roman Catholic Church view tax evasion? An economic study called "The Individual Income Tax and Economic Growth" reports: "There was quite an uproar, some time ago, when the Osservatore Romano, the official newspaper of the Vatican, declared in an editorial that tax evasion is not a sin." Is the church’s view a proper one? Does the Bible in any way approve or condone tax evasion?

No, it does not. When Jesus Christ was asked whether it was proper to pay taxes or not, he obtained a coin, and asked: "‘Whose image and inscription does it have?’ They said ‘Caesar’s.’ He said to them: ‘By all means, then, pay back Caesar’s things to Caesar, but God’s things to God.’" (Luke 20:22-25) Yes, the tax belongs to "Caesar," that is, the governmental authorities, and Jesus made no allowance for illegally withholding any part of it.

Poztate

I seem to recall some sort of public protest organised by the WT. Marching in the street etc. Anybody remember this part?

If true it means they only pay taxes if they are forced into it as a last resort.Political protest comes first.

blondie

*** w99 8/1 p. 9 Witnesses Go to the Public in France ***

FROM the early hours of Friday, January 29, 1999, and continuing into the weekend, Jehovah’s Witnesses in France enthusiastically distributed on the streets and later from house to house, 12 million copies of a tract entitled People of France, You Are Being Deceived!

the first day. In Paris alone, by midday over 7,000 Witnesses had put more than 1.3 million tracts in the hands of people. Seeing so many Witnesses giving out tracts on the streets was certainly a first for the people. The media, including national and local newspapers and television, reacted favorably to the communication drive.

Poztate

Thanks Blondie,

It is interesting to see how far they will go when it is their financial interests being threatened.

OOPS forgot...I think they took out a full page ad in the NY Times True??/

garybuss

When Witnesses try to influence policy makers, that's lobbying, and THAT'S politics. Who are they trying to kid with this . . . "We are not political." BS? The Watch Tower Society is a political party in denial. Their structure is political, their message is political, their tactics are political, and their objective to rule the world is political.

Maybe when they start behaving like a religion and not a gang of thugs, they will be treated like a religion.