Scientology's 'charity' - 1993-10-15
Scientology's 'charity' October 15, 1993,
That "business" is a multimillion-dollar operation that profits from people in need, and please take note of the bottom line. To have one's conscience cleansed and purified by the Church of Scientology can cleanse one's savings account of as much as $400,000.
Though the IRS decision no doubt represents bureaucratic surrender, it is also speaks to the impossibly flawed state of tax law. The laws governing tax status for charities and churches are so vague and so generous that a clearly non-religious or non-charitable enterprise can still claim exemption from taxation as long as it is "substantially related" to the charitable organization.
No government agency should be in the business of defining religion, but it can determine the point at which an organization operates like a profitmaking business. That's the point at which taxes should be paid like any other business.