by Golden4Altar 18 Replies latest jw friends
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This video was just released with documented proof, see this link: https://jehovahstruth.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=187#p187
G4A
At first, reading the headline, I thought that the WT had received that money from the UK government. That would be a huge scandal. Voluntary donations from the R&F, not so much. They're free to donate their hard-earned to whomever they like.
If that figure is true, a quick back of the envelope calculation reduces that amount to about $630 per year per witness, or about $52 per month. $13* a week. That's not a huge amount for individual donations by a practitioner of any religion.
The headline figure is breathtaking, but not so much when its broken down. It's a tad dishonest, IMO, to telegraph figures in that way. You see this sort of reporting every day: "Government to spend $10bn tackling (cause du jour)!" screams a headline. But when you read the article, it's the total amount budgeted to be spent over the next X number of years. Not such a big figure then, is it?
Don't get me wrong, I hate the control that the WT has over its slaves (their term, not mine). But try to keep things in perspective. A lot of people spend a lot more than $13 a week on cigarettes or lottery tickets. While I don't personally approve of the average JW's "vice" of giving money to the WT, it's their choice.
*£10.35 Sterling.
Just think: $497 Million in donations from just the UK alone in less than a decade. Just the UK! Not America (home base) or even South America. (#2) Just the UK!
So now tell me again how a $2 million USD settlement here, or a $5 million USD settlement there, for CSA payouts is going to "bring down" the WatchTower? This cult is worth BILLIONS upon BILLIONS of dollars. They have real estate, and huge investment portfolios we can only dream about.
They sure act desperate and like they're hurting for money, what with all the sell-offs of buildings, begging of donations, etc going on.
So that BEGS the question: Where the fuq is all the money going then? WTH is going on? Are they building a compound or underground bunkers around the world no one knows about? I find that hard to believe with how stupid they are and with how everything (even stupid videos) are leaked early.
They are focusing on what we would otherwise call profits. The same way a corporation will. A corporation will speak of having to cut costs even when they are profitable. If profits fell from one quarter to another, they still made money and they still have money in reserve. But they want to be prepared in case profits fall again or if they experience a loss. If they wait until money is running out, it is usually too late to act.
It is possible that the WTS has quite a lot of money and is 'profitable.' But the loss of government subsidies would hurt future income, and big payouts of hush money eat into their savings. They probably are seeing a slowdown in income and an increase in expenses, and have decided to act before things are dire. This might be one of the reasons for the recent changes, and I am wondering how many more of them they will implement if they think it will improve the flow of income.
Hmmmm🙄 money? Money money money!!
Retired accountant here
So now tell me again how a $2 million USD settlement here, or a $5 million USD settlement there, for CSA payouts is going to "bring down" the WatchTower?
It may be a relatively small amount of money, but it's currency permanently leaving my country for no benefit. Year after year.
Some of it ends up with watchtower's abuse victims, but that's a twisted kind of charity.
It was estimated Watchtower earns 30 billion dollars per year in total donations (including legacies and share dividends etc) TAX FREE!
A big chunk of this is likely money from deceased JW's estates given in wills.
Mark W. It may be a relatively small amount of money, but it's currency permanently leaving my country for no benefit. Year after year.
Yes all the cash ($30,000,000 annual estimate) flows to "Mother HQ". May explain why the USA govt isn't in a big hurry to curtail the shenanigans of it's (not a few) home grown cults.
Ok they're not paying income tax BUT they're spending that cash on US businesses & other forms of indirect taxation (Ant Mo's Scotch bill?) . Also land taxes/council taxes etc, I presume?
