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Originally Posted by itsbob  If there were true seperation of church and state, I would think that would mean no preferential treatment, and be treated just as any other business would be. |
No religion, nor lack thereof, is treated preferentially. That was the point of saying they ALL get tax-free status. Were they a business, they would be treated as such. Those religions that begin to act as a "for profit" business do risk losing their tax free status. For example, the constant talks about the churches that allow politicians to speak, or the LDS church about 20+ years ago and their "investments", etc. There are pretty strict guidelines.
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Microsoft does much more charitable work than probably 80% of the churches, should they be given a tax free status too?
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Well, those actions are given a tax free status. Deductions, just like the ones you take on your taxes. However, they're taxed on their profit-side.