Quote:
Originally Posted by ImThankful
Our pastor gets all of the tithes so he isnt officially set on a salary at all. I would just think he would want to hold some sort of business mtg yrly so as not to have any so called secrets. I dont feel he is doing anything wrong whatsoever. Im simply saying that way no one would think he has anything to hide. Does most churches hold these mtgs yrly?
|
Legally then, the "tithes" he takes from the church's other income
are his salary. He is required to report this as income on his Federal and state tax returns.
The IRS makes no distinction as to how a donation to a church is designated - whether it's a "tithe" or "offering." In the IRS's eyes it's all a "donation" to a (presumably) 501c tax exempt corporation. Any funds that any of the officers of that corporation remove and convert to personal use are to be reported as income and are subject to the standard tax rates.
I was at a General Conference once back in the 1980s when a brief "Tax Seminar" was given to the assembled ministers. Basically, the law was explained and the consequences for failing to abide by the law were explained as well. Many of the ministers expressed shock at the quandary they were in.
If they were to suddenly report their incomes after having hidden them for so many years, can you imagine the back taxes and interest? One man actually stood up before the entire conference and asked repeated questions about how he might be able to "come clean" and become "legit" without raising all sorts of flags.
I guess this whole "Apostolic Church" and "Pentecostal Revival" was quite the racket back in the day. Not so much, any more.
Threaded Mode
