Tax exempt statues
By gewcew23
@gewcew23 (8007)
United States
October 12, 2010 12:37pm CST
Lets say I or anyone else founded a meeting place where atheist, agnostics, secular humanist, and free thinkers could meet each other. This meeting place would have music, hopefully a house band could be developed. We would also have a teaching session where someone would speak about things the concern and benefit the audience. Maybe from time to time we could invite a famous speaker to come like a Richard Dawkins. The meeting place would need monetary assistance from it's member to pay for the rent/mortage, utilities, insurance, and any other thing that is needed to be paid for. The question is would the money that was collected have to be declared as income and therefor taxed? Since the meet place would not be classified as a religious organization could we still declare tax exempt statues? If we could not then why should the tens if not hundreds of thousand of churches be allowed to have tax exempt statues?
2 people like this
4 responses
@ZephyrSun (7381)
• United States
12 Oct 10
You would or someone would have to file for a 501c3 tax exempt status. I know that it goes through the IRS but, I have never applied for one so I'm not sure if you have to have an attorney do it for you. When I worked for the Board of Education I had to make sure that each one of our schools had one turned in. I don't believe that your organization would have to be religious to claim a 501, just an organization that is nonprofit or not for profit (there's a difference). Besides I just read some where that atheist is considered a religion. I was a little shocked about that because I always assumed that one would have to believe in a higher power to be considered a religion.
Anyway, the IRS has a guide for applying for a 501c and here's the link, it's a pdf file.
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4220.pdf
1 person likes this
@Latrivia (2878)
• United States
19 Oct 10
Tax exempt status is not determined by religious affiliation. Religious institutions have to adhere to a set of rules in order to gain and maintain tax exemption, and if they violate those rules, they lose it. The same applies to non-religious affiliations, like animal rights groups and other non-profit organizations.
You could apply for and achieve tax exempt status if your particular group meets the expectations for a tax exempt institution in your state. You don't need a god to get it.
Even donations are income, but they can be considered "non-taxable".
@redyellowblackdog (10629)
• United States
12 Oct 10
Most tax exempt organizations are NOT churches. A group such as you suggest could be formed, but get professional help in doing the IRS paper work. There are rules which must be followed. There are consequences for messing up the proper procedures. If you get your group started, I'm sure many myLotters would be interested.
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
18 Oct 10
That's a very good question. If it couldn't be declared tax exempt, it should be, in my opinion. If you take it further, I'd say to not grant tax exempt status to a groupd of NON-religious people, wouldn't that be discrimination? People can't be discriminated against because of their religion so they shouldn't be because of their LACK of religious faith, right?
Annie
