The business, if you will, of virtually all religions are exempt.
Their workers, clergy, and constituents aren't, (nor is unrelated business income), of course.
Why would they be?
A LITTLE MORE
The organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, as a religious organization remains tax exempt in most countries, as other religions are. There may be some countries where taxes are imposed, and Jehovah's Witnesses comply with local tax authorities in such cases.
We have no paid clergy or church leaders. All ministers' work is voluntary, including the door-to-door activity that we are well known for. Therefore, in most cases, each minister must support himself or herself financially through some form of secular employment. Each one of JW's must individually be responsible for their own obligations of paying taxes to the authorities for whatever income or property they may be taxed on.
We are continually reminded at our congregation meetings that we are accountable before GOD himself to honestly pay our taxes as required by the government under which we live.
Answer:
I've heard that in Canada, for about ten to fifteen years now the Witnesses travelling elders and those staying at the Watchtower offices have declared vows of poverty the same as the priesthood of other churches and are tax exempt. This is only for a privileged upper hierarchy and is not available to local elders and rank and file witnesses. Could they have kept this quiet because they sign the government forms as clergymen while they tell those who question it that this is more like being poor "monks" because they do not have clergy in their church? So one could ask if either the government is being mislead or the church goers are? This seeming twisting of the truth when it's financially advantageous or otherwise beneficial is a good question to raise with their travelling "non-clergy".
Reading the above, I suspect it is a confusion as to terms...and that again the people, any of the people, of a tax exempt entity are not themselves tax exempt.
And a prime indicator there wouldn't even be any need for those mentioned to be so: A monk, JW priest, or just unlucky person...who is in poverty and has no (or very limited) income and wealth, with others providing for them...l..pays no tax, exempt or not.
No! They pay taxes and are obligated to be honest in their tax preparation. In Jesus time, in an attempt to "trick" him into saying something to prove he was trying to subvert the Roman gov't ( a new gov't at the time that he lived) they asked Jesus if his followers should pay taxes. Jesus reply was, "Pay Caeser's things to Caesar but pay god's things to God." Jesus was in fact charged with sedition, but this statement that they prompted him to make, provided no proof of that charge.
We must pay taxes as a law abiding citizen, the question has arisen as to why we pay taxes even though we don't support the way much of it is spent. However, the way taxes are appropriated is the responsibility of the gov't not the witness, and the witness need not feel guilty for supporting efforts that displease Jehovah, ie war, expansion of the military, subsidized abortions etc. When are direct actions are in conflict with Jehovah, is joining the serive, this is when the Witness would choose not to obey a governmental authority.
call the branch of Jehovahs witnesses. The number can be found on most of their books and magazines
no
jehovahs witnesses
no
Yes
jehovahs witnesses dont gamble but the do drink not to the point that they get drunk
Yes. There are aproxtimately 15,000 of Jehovah's Witnesses in New Zealand.
Yes
Jehovahs Witnesses
There are none.
Nope
Because jehovahs witnesses are pacifist and therefore anti military and therefore do not believe that a person that participated in the military deserves to be honored.