How registering as a JW in Germany benefits the WT/Org

by OrphanCrow 24 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  fastJehu

  In Germany a church has to pay between 2% and 4% of the church tax as fee to the tax office.

  "Für die Verwaltung der Kirchensteuer durch die Finanzämter entrichten die Religionsgemeinschaften eine Verwaltungskostenentschädigung. Sie liegt zwischen 2% und 4% des Aufkommens der Kirchensteuer."

  Translation:

  "For the administration of church tax by the tax offices, the religious communities pay an administrative cost compensation. It is between 2% and 4% of church tax revenue."

  Source: http://www.steuer-forum-kirche.de/faq-finvw.htm

  So the org had to pay millions of Euro every year to satans system (tax office).So satans system would work for the org and would receive money for this work.
  My fortune teller glass ball says, that the org will NOT do this.
  They would do what they have been writing for decades:

  *** w89 5/15 p. 3 Babylon the Great—Her Execution ***
  Whom or what does Babylon the Great symbolize? The Bible says that world rulers have committed fornication with her and that merchants have traded with her. (Revelation 18:3) Hence, she cannot represent politics or big business. But this leaves the third powerful element in the world as the only candidate for the title ‘mother of harlots.’ She is none other than Satan’s world empire of false religion!

  
  
• 

  slimboyfat

  I have been to the branch in Vienna a couple of times. I am trying to make sense of the picture on the previous page. Is the bethel the small building on the bottom right hand corner? It looks a bit like I remember. In that case the apartments on the video are aross the road. Not sure if the building is intact or not.

  Austrai doesn't seem to have street view for some reason.
• 

  OrphanCrow

  fastjehu: My fortune teller glass ball says, that the org will NOT do this

  I agree.

  It is most likely that the org has opted for #2: to be the collector of that compulsory church tax from their membership. Which means that the org would submit a list of their members, the tax office would assess how much tax is owed that the org must collect, and the org is given just a flat figure of collectible tax.

  My question is this: Do you know if the org, when they submit their tax returns to the tax office, has to show an accounting of those "taxes"/donations? Would they have to reconcile that tax amount?

  Because if they do....that opens up a whole barrel of worms
• 

  fastJehu

  OrphanCrow
  Do you know if the org, when they submit their tax returns to the tax office, has to show an accounting of those "taxes"/donations? Would they have to reconcile that tax amount?

  I don't know this. The churches do not have to make their tax returns public.

  Some churches voluntarily publish what income and what expenses they had - which of course creates a basis of trust with the believer.

  A cult (using the BITE - model to control there members) does not, of course, publish his finances. The JWs in Germany only have this document - how they will handle there finances:

  https://www.jehovaszeugen.de/uploads/media/Vermoegensverwaltungsgesetz_01.pdf

  Look at §7.2:

  "The Branch Committee may provide for further fundraising measures in accordance with religious law. "
• 

  OrphanCrow

  fastjehu: I don't know this. The churches do not have to make their tax returns public.

  That's too bad. Canada and the UK do publish abbreviated returns that give some financial information.

  I am going to take a shot in the dark and speculate that the org does have to reconcile the assessed tax amount with the amount reported for donations in lieu of levying tithes/tax on its membership in Germany and possibly other European countries that levy a form of church tax on church members.

  That would account for the large sum of money transferred from the UK branch over to Germany around the same time that the org got their public law status in Germany. It is possible that Germany had to come up with a substantial amount to cover the expected tax/donations they had to show on their tax return.

  Which would also explain the upping of pressure for donations everywhere. What could be happening, depending on how much the org is getting assessed for church tax in European countries, is that the rest of the world is ending up bailing out JWs in Europe who would rather not pay the church tax that has been levied against them, especially if there are certain JWs who have considerable income.

  Maybe the European church taxes are draining money off the rest of the org. Maybe there are JWs with money in those countries that are using the org to pay the tax for them. Which would be JWs who don't have the luxury of declaring themselves no longer JWs because they have built their careers around their JW reputation.

  Maybe.

  And, then, once all that church tax money ends up in Germany, the org would have to do something with the money that has landed there - they would likely have a disbursement quota of around 80% (that is what Canada has for charities) - and that is why the printing etc has been re-located to Germany and goodbye to all those plans for the UK expansion.