Can someone explain to me how the JW cult still has a 501.3c tax-free "charity" status when they have child abuse scandals & c

by kpop 9 Replies latest jw friends

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  kpop

  I saw this posted on another forum and it raises a very good question. Maybe we can get a Go Fundme page to pay for the lawyer fees? Get a good shark lawyer on this?
  

  >Can someone please explain to me HOW and WHY the JW WTBTS still has a 503.1c tax-free status when they are NOT a charity, they have thousands of child abuse scandals ongoing, it has literally millions of ex-members who will testify to it being a CULT which destroys families and has caused the suicides of many members not to mention the needless deaths of those who refused BLOOD on the basis of a bunch of ignorant men?
  
  Everything the JW cult has done is not because it is BIBLE based as they claim but to make themselves AS DIFFERENT from other "Christian" religions. That's the reasons for their, NO BLOOD policy, the NO HOLIDAYS policy, the NO VOTING policy, the NO SMOKING policy etc etc etc.
  
  Someone needs to get a real sharp lawyer and go after the jugular of this cult and take it down once and for all!
  
  REMOVE THEIR 501.3c TAX STATUS NOW!<

  
  
  
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  kpop

  Also the JW cult has more former members than they have current members!
  
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  Richard Oliver

  John Oliver did an amazing report on this type of thing. It did not talk about Watchtower but how easy it is for churches to get tax exempt status and how hard it is for a church to lose it.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y1xJAVZxXg

  He even made his own church and received tax exempt status and highlighted what he could say some outrageous things and still not lose the status.

  And this video only speaks of tax-exempt status in the US as that is the only country where a 501 (c) (3) applies as that is the only place that US tax law applies.
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  blondie

  Probably the same reason the Roman Catholic Church does, the Boy Scouts, and other religious groups that have had successful abuse cases brought against them.
  
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  sir82

  I don't see the connection between their tax status and their, er, scandal status.

  If tax-exempt status were removed from every organization that ever faced a scandal, well, there wouldn't be any tax-exempt organizations left.
  
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  Richard Oliver

  Also, not all of Watchtower is tax-exempt. There are some facilities that are considered outside business interest and those are taxable and are taxed by their respective governments. I know that when the Patterson Inn still accepted outside guests and did not just house bethelites, the land and building was taxed by Putnam county and I believe the state of New York. I also know that because of New York City housing regulations, that as buildings were bought in Brooklyn and they had renting tenants they could not evict them. The monies received by those tenants were also taxed as well as the portion of the building that unit would take up for property tax. Buildings and land that are tax exempt has to be shown that their use is primarily used by the religion for religious use and is not used for income or even left vacant without the religion using it for some purpose as part of their religious services or in connection with the tenets of the religion.
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  kpop

  Thank you for this understanding but I do not believe that of all the religions that JW cult should benefit from this! They do nothing for chairty!
  
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  Richard Oliver

  Watch the video that I posted. John Oliver researched this greatly. He hired a lawyer to set up his own church and highlighted some strange things that go own that is considered perfectly acceptable by the IRS. He mentioned that in all of 2015 only 3 churches lost their charity status. He even highlights a video that is shown to IRS employees on how to treat religions with extra consideration when it comes to tax-exempt status of religions. In fact the IRS had tried for years to deny Scientology their tax-exempt status but they fought and won their status.
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  Finkelstein

  We hear you Kpop but as Blondie has mentioned sexual abuse charges for non-profit organizations is somewhat relevant to their status, unless of course some law is created .

  How would you go about distinguishing that status from one religion to another ?.

  They do nothing for charity!

  and your right about that too !
  
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  betterdaze

  Education. The WTBTS masquerades as an Education nonprofit.
  
  As long as they print some skimpy brochures, or throw up a few articles online from time to time, they qualify.
  
  Doesn’t matter that cart-sitters are virtually invisible, they offer Bible-based (tm) education free to the public.
  
  Watchtower could cancel door-to-door work, eliminate the worldwide Bethel population, and operate with an 8-person skeleton crew.
  
  They’d still qualify.
  
  Historically, they’ve enjoyed agricultural exemptions, too. Watchtower was very clever to install a BIBLE MUSEUM at Warwick HQ. No matter how tarnished their reputation, no matter how many Witnesses leave, they could still solicit public donations on that basis alone. While sitting on billion$ in recent real estate transactions, and compounded interest plus principal going back over a hundred years.
  
  Works for them, works for Orange County, NY tourism and economic development. Very happy to have new neighbors fix up a decrepit site within the park and bring in busloads of neatly dressed, well-mannered consumer$.
  
  Tourism is their new gig. Education always has been, and will remain, their phony, fraudulent front.