tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294170801673753291.post6472107180205905880..comments2023-04-04T08:07:42.350-04:00Comments on SBC Plodder: Nope. You cannot use your housing allowance for a second home.William Thorntonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12502242710436994507noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294170801673753291.post-38012510982689095682012-02-19T14:54:38.474-05:002012-02-19T14:54:38.474-05:00Forbes has posted a guest column in conjunction wi...Forbes has posted a guest column in conjunction with the two recent columns regarding the Driscoll case.<br /><br />Some here might be interested. Here's the address:<br /><br />http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterjreilly/2012/02/18/irs-veteran-carries-fight-against-clergy-tax-abuse-into-retirement/RLBatynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294170801673753291.post-30674593633983507852012-02-18T09:58:45.676-05:002012-02-18T09:58:45.676-05:00Tim, I would not maintain that there are not SBC c...Tim, I would not maintain that there are not SBC clergy who do so. I just don't know any.<br /><br />Such examples are the reason we will continually have to fend off challenges to the HA.<br /><br />williamAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294170801673753291.post-17881650041166536122012-02-18T09:30:10.997-05:002012-02-18T09:30:10.997-05:00Quoted From Mr. Thornton:
"I don't know ...Quoted From Mr. Thornton:<br /><br />"I don't know of an SBC minister who takes a HA on a second home."<br /><br />I do/I did. For propriety's sake, I won't name names.<br /><br />This man has bounced around from church to church as a hireling (John 10), having 14-28 month tenures, for years. He occupies the local church parsonage rent-free, and THEN takes 100% of his Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294170801673753291.post-52447987629122693012012-02-17T12:36:47.323-05:002012-02-17T12:36:47.323-05:00The housing allowance is largely tax policy suited...The housing allowance is largely tax policy suited for a past era of religion in the United States. The congregations where it would more justly apply would not attract much attention of the pastors that follow this blog or many like it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294170801673753291.post-86475280819108649662012-02-16T21:31:24.720-05:002012-02-16T21:31:24.720-05:00Here are some excerpts from the recently released ...Here are some excerpts from the recently released Grassley Report:<br /><br />> According to a report in the <br />> L.A. Times, televangelist Paul <br />> F. Crouch, president of Trinity <br />> Broadcasting Network, makes a <br />> habit of ordaining the network‘s <br />> station managers and department <br />> heads as ministers so that they <br />> could deduct 100% ofRLBatynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294170801673753291.post-81312314509166533742012-02-16T21:14:47.337-05:002012-02-16T21:14:47.337-05:00The Faith and Freedom is reportedly committed to h...The Faith and Freedom is reportedly committed to helping Driscoll with further appeals.<br /><br />See:<br /><br />http://blogs.wsj.com/totalreturn/2012/02/10/appeals-court-rejects-clergy-tax-benefit/RLBatynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294170801673753291.post-4484050902988353512012-02-16T21:01:26.976-05:002012-02-16T21:01:26.976-05:00Years ago, the IRS office I worked in tried to cha...Years ago, the IRS office I worked in tried to challenge the housing claimed by a private school "basketball minister". The public record in that case revealed the following regarding his "ordination":<br /><br />> (Basketball coach) approached<br />> the elders of his congregation<br />> and requested that he be<br />> certified as a minister of the<br />> RLBatynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294170801673753291.post-91279246188932532582012-02-16T20:58:59.147-05:002012-02-16T20:58:59.147-05:00Southern Baptists are pretty big on the priesthood...Southern Baptists are pretty big on the priesthood of all believers and practice local church autonomy, meaning that only an individual congregation, an autonomous body, can ordain ministers.<br /><br />While a church could ordain anyone, at any age, with or without education, and for proper reasons or devious ones, I have never known an SBC church to ordain strictly for tax purposes. No doubt William Thorntonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12502242710436994507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294170801673753291.post-58263634238830704592012-02-16T20:37:59.005-05:002012-02-16T20:37:59.005-05:00Peter,
I guess you missed the following comment t...Peter,<br /><br />I guess you missed the following comment that I posted after you raised the issue after Wood's article on the same issue:<br /><br />See:<br /><br />http://www.chattanoogan.com/2006/5/24/86430/Driscolls-Don-t-Take-Stand-Case-Going.aspx<br /><br />There, it is reported that Ron Halvorson of the Bethel Christian Center testified that:<br /><br />> “Driscoll applied at his RLBatynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294170801673753291.post-38475308543467308402012-02-16T18:51:36.707-05:002012-02-16T18:51:36.707-05:00"Clergy Tax Abuse" is probably a mistitl..."Clergy Tax Abuse" is probably a mistitle on my part but the original title wasn't attracting too much notice. <br /><br />Does anybody have any idea who ordained Phil Driscoll? His "ministry" based on its website is more like a record label than anything else. It does not purport to be a church and files a 990.<br />The most disturbing thing about the parsonage Peter Reillyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01473701483727808782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294170801673753291.post-75143571660472509852012-02-16T17:18:36.444-05:002012-02-16T17:18:36.444-05:00Ridiculous!
I agree, but it's even more.
The...Ridiculous!<br /><br />I agree, but it's even more.<br /><br />The floodgates were opened for such ridiculous results when Bush and Burleson put the squeeze on the IRS during the Nixon years; on behalf of Abilene Christian College.<br /><br />As a result, an administrative rule was issued that recognized such private schools as if they were the church (shades of ObamaCare and the flap over RLBatynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294170801673753291.post-48873974100695598022012-02-16T17:02:04.447-05:002012-02-16T17:02:04.447-05:00Grassley wouldn't do anything about the housin...Grassley wouldn't do anything about the housing allowance problems, and so the FFRF continues to litigate its challenge on constitutional grounds. Though a theist, I support the FFRF challenge. The law, as written and administered, is, I and others so often have proposed, is unconstitutional.RLBatynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294170801673753291.post-80437587862655914372012-02-16T16:59:22.374-05:002012-02-16T16:59:22.374-05:00Employees pay their full Social Security, as Rush ...Employees pay their full Social Security, as Rush Limbaugh often points out, just do ministers who have not opted out of paying Social Security tax. It's just an accounting gimmick that makes it look like the employee is splitting it with the employer.RLBatynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294170801673753291.post-29945639681233860862012-02-16T15:51:41.239-05:002012-02-16T15:51:41.239-05:00You are right with respect to those ministers whos...You are right with respect to those ministers whose AGI is low. The HA doesn't save them much. <br /><br />And churches can, I believe, make a one time election to pay SS taxes on their ministers but I know of no SBC churches that do this.<br /><br />You really cannot say that an ordinary worker pays only half of his SS because his employer figures that into the cost of his employment. Joe William Thorntonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12502242710436994507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294170801673753291.post-64143133363825496942012-02-16T11:53:45.384-05:002012-02-16T11:53:45.384-05:00I always wonder, "how much do we really save ...I always wonder, "how much do we really save on the housing allowance?"<br /><br />What I mean is: most small churches can't pay a whole lot. They mostly want to hire someone with kids. And, even though the housing allowance allows part of our money to not fall into an income tax bracket, we pay the whole 15% of our social security on our full income (aka including housing allowanceTim Dahlhttp://tikesbestfriend.comnoreply@blogger.com