| Should church clergy be restricted from participating in the electoral process merely because they are religious? No. I find it very hostile for the government to try to put these people in a position where they are basically told to pay for your rights.
Charities deserve tax-exempt status if they follow the law. NPOs pay people too and even though I'm not sure whether they are treated equally, I still say they should be. The law should not infringe on the individual's right to vote or assemble merely because they are in the business of religion, charity, or other humanitarian service. That is clearly an infringement on civil liberties.
As far as how church clergy should be taxed, it oughtta depend on individual income; to be in concordance with standard income tax. There shouldn't be an option in the first place for anyone to get out of paying taxes. But this is another topic, and I won't stray too far into it because I really don't understand how NPOs and charities get treated by the IRS. |