Georgia Baptist Convention urges ‘no’ vote on tax overhaul
House and Senate Republicans are working furiously this afternoon to massage the proposed tax overhaul into a form that will fly with wary members of both GOP caucuses.
One reason for the sudden footwork is this e-mail from the top lobbyist for the Georgia Baptist Convention, sent to its massive network of churches:
The new Georgia Tax Policy that is being debated in the GA House of Representatives today will not allow tax deductions for charity or church giving. It is important that you contact your House of Representatives member today and tell them you are opposed to that change in the GA Tax Policy.
…It is urgent that you do this today and send this information to your contacts as well so they can do the same.
H. Ray Newman
State Missionary
Ethics and Public Affairs
Georgia Baptist Convention
6405 Sugarloaf Parkway
Duluth, GA 30097
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
For instant updates, follow me on Twitter, or connect with me on Facebook.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
108 comments Add your comment
SteveK
March 30th, 2011
4:55 pm
Churches do little to nothing to help the poor. They use donations to push political agendas. TAX THEM!
findog
March 30th, 2011
5:04 pm
Well it took them three years to do transportation funding, punting it down the road another two years
What is the rush on THIS legislation, other than shifting the burden onto the middle class?
mjct1
March 30th, 2011
5:08 pm
Findog
I have to disagree with you. There is no more middle class. There is have and the rest is have not.
mjct1
March 30th, 2011
5:09 pm
As you can see. Anyone making less than 250 is poor. 250 and above is something.
Brenda
March 30th, 2011
5:09 pm
Is it more greedy for me to want to keep the money I make or for you to want to take my money from me?
td
March 30th, 2011
5:09 pm
SteveK
March 30th, 2011
4:55 pm
Churches do little to nothing to help the poor. They use donations to push political agendas. TAX THEM!
You do not have a clue what churches do. Why not try to go to one for a while and find out.
findog
March 30th, 2011
5:15 pm
LMS,
I thought DW was the boogity boogity guy on NASCAR
Brenda
March 30th, 2011
5:17 pm
Still crickets about the Ga Democrats trying to roll back the clock and elimnate Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Johns Creek and Chattahoochee Hills with a voting rights suit.
clem
March 30th, 2011
5:18 pm
The Baptists are against everything. Baptist churches are big business. They have a right wing agenda that is opposite to what most Americans believe.
td
March 30th, 2011
5:20 pm
clem
March 30th, 2011
5:18 pm
They have a right wing agenda that is opposite to what most Americans believe
Really? Please give us some example of what they believe that most americans do not?
td
March 30th, 2011
5:23 pm
Brenda
March 30th, 2011
5:17 pm
Still crickets about the Ga Democrats trying to roll back the clock and elimnate Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Johns Creek and Chattahoochee Hills with a voting rights suit.
I do not think you are going to here from any lib on these blogs to answer the question. Unless of coarse, they respond to call you a racist.
I also have an outstanding question about what they core functions of our state government should be and have heard nothing but silence.
GaBlue
March 30th, 2011
5:27 pm
td,
Okay! Most Americans believe that it should not be legal to discriminate against citizens who are gay. The Baptists, through their vocal and assertive agenda, disagree. Most Georgians believe that we should be able to vote on Sunday sales in our communities. The Baptists, through their vocal and assertive agenda, disagree. Most Americans believe a woman’s medical and reproductive decisions are between her and her doctor, and not a decision of a bunch of gray-haired male congressmen in Washington DC whom they’ve never met. The Baptists, through their vocal and assertive agenda, disagree. (I used to be a Baptist, so don’t tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about.)
Give me a break
March 30th, 2011
5:29 pm
Is about time the churches get taxed. They’re the only ones who can afford to built large churches and schools. Look around your neighborhood. Which are the largest, opulent, buildings – the churches.
GaBlue
March 30th, 2011
5:30 pm
Re: the white bread cities: Personally, I don’t care. I already pay city taxes in addition to county, state, and federal. Why these numbnuts voted themselves a whole additional set of taxes thinking they’d somehow save money, I can’t fathom. Having no opinion on the matter, I’m waiting to see how it plays out. It IS okay to not have an opinion right away, you know.
Let's clear a few things up...
March 30th, 2011
5:36 pm
First of all, churches do in fact pay a HUGE percentage of taxes. Every purchase of a good or service made by a church is taxed just like it is for everyone else. The “tax exempt” status of churches and charitable organizations is referring to income received by those organizations. And, of course, all of those dollars have already been taxed on the individual who makes the contribution. I don’t get the logic of you charity/church haters who want to tax the same money over, and over, and over again.
You need to be thanking the Baptist organization for speaking up because eliminating charitable deductions would actually hurt every single charitable organization (conservative AND liberal), not just churches. So, when you vote to add another tax to churches and eliminate charitable deductions, you won’t only be voting to shutdown churches but voting to eliminate your global warming organizations, HIV education, planned parenthood and your local animal shelter. You’ll eliminate cancer, MS, and Arthritis research. When your home gets blown away by a tornado or earthquake, you won’t have The Salvation Army or Red Cross there to help you. That’s just a sampling of what eliminating charitable deductions would do.
Not only that, it is important to note that Christians consistently provide 80+% of ALL charitible giving. So, it’s not like all of you church haters and haters of success aren’t already benefitting from the church. You probably already knew that, though, and just want to suck another welfare check out of the church or the government system.
Last Man Standing
March 30th, 2011
5:39 pm
findog:
“Let’s go racin’, boys!”
Yep, that is the REAL D. W.!
All Wrong
March 30th, 2011
5:43 pm
@GaBlue . . . do you really have to wonder why the “white bread cities” voted to become cities, REALLY??? They wanted to get away from the corrupt, inept, morons running Dekalb and Fulton counties and wanted to stop the drain of their tax dollars to support deadbeats . . .
Winfield J. Abbe
March 30th, 2011
5:45 pm
This stupid bill is nothing but smoke and mirrors nonsense to seek to fool others that our income tax rate is lower than other states. But isn’t the already outrageous cost of tax preparation already wasting enormous amounts of money and time of taxpayers now? This disgusting bill is going to make things worse for nothing. All of us will have to pay more money to accountants and waste more time preparing garbage for government bureaucrats as we do now. This is what needs to be changed. Kill this disgusting bill and replace it with one which eliminates all income and property taxes and forces everyone to pay sales tax on almost everything and make churches pay too. This is the only fair tax. Even drug dealers and those operating illegally on cash must buy things.
It is unconscionable to think that 159 counties in Georgia each have bureaucracies wasting time and energy valuing property and shafting all property owners to pay for education and other costs while other deadbeats have children from a little fun in the bedroom and pay nothing at all. Expletive deleted is the only proper adjective to describe this reprehensible situation our good for nothing law makers won’t touch with a ten foot pole.
All Wrong
March 30th, 2011
5:46 pm
Can anyone on this blog please address @td’s open questions??? Just like the libdems that simply throw darts and hide . . .
Last Man Standing
March 30th, 2011
5:46 pm
Let’s clear a few things up… :
You are correct on every aspect. I have limited my charitable contributions to the Salvation Army after I saw how much of every dollar received goes directly to the stated purpose. Since I now live on a fixed income (should I say “dwindling” income due to inflation?), losing the 80% tax exempt status on charitable contributions will, by necessity, have a negative impact on the amount I can donate. I’m also sure that it will impact many other people in the same way.
All Wrong
March 30th, 2011
5:47 pm
@Winfield . . .Amen . . .
rc35
March 30th, 2011
5:50 pm
Georgia Baptists, along with other Christian groups, help provide a number of social services from child care and food pantries to disaster relief and drug/alcohol recovery. At a time when religious and charitable groups are being asked to do more and more, it’s counterproductive to penalize those who want to give to support those groups.
Einsteindawg
March 30th, 2011
5:52 pm
Most of you on here are as clueless as our legislators. Rather than addressing the income side, why not better manage expenses. With a state sales tax and 7%+ local sales tax, we should have plenty of revenue. Unfortunately, we have a much bloated gov’t. Just my opinion.
td
March 30th, 2011
5:54 pm
GaBlue
March 30th, 2011
5:27 pm
I think you are distorting the facts a little. I grew up a Southern Baptist and was a Sunday school teacher for a while. The Baptist as well as over 60% of this state and most other states in this country believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman only. Is this what you are talking about as discrimination? They believe that being homosexual is a sin, just like fornication and adultery are sins.
As far as abortion goes, they believe it is also a sin because it is murder to kill a unborn child. I think those figures are close to 50/50 in this country that believes the same.
Sins are sins not only against God but also against man. Most people will answer for those sins to their God and we should not judge them but t is our responsibility to point it out to them. Sounds like to me that you want to punish the Baptist for not believing the same way you do. If the Baptist (or any other religious person is wrong) then they will have to answer to the same God for their sins.
GaBlue
March 30th, 2011
5:55 pm
@All Wrong, What part of “I don’t care because I already pay city taxes” is beyond you? I imagine the folks in Johns Creek wanted their own police department dedicated to protecting their fancy houses when the local high schools have their annual spring tree-rolling rituals. SO? Are you getting pizzy with me for not caring if they decide to pay more taxes? And by the way, I answered TWO of “td’s open questions.” Reading is fundamental, man. I can’t do everything for you. Learn to stand on your own two feet for once. Get a job. Get a haircut for crisesakes!
DW (the real one)
March 30th, 2011
5:57 pm
DimWit? Really? Lame
Kudos to Total D0uchebag and Last Moron Standing
GaBlue
March 30th, 2011
6:01 pm
td, You’re wrong about me. I’m not into punishing people for their beliefs. Isn’t that your thing? I just want them to pay their taxes like I pay mine. I do good things too, and like the Bible says, I don’t stand on the street corner bragging about them. Verily, they have their reward (*oh snap!*) so they don’t deserve to be exempt form taxes too, while our state circles the drain.
UGADawg83
March 30th, 2011
6:03 pm
In actuality this will do little tomhurthnthe churches. Church contributions will still be deducted federally and the federal tax rates are much higher.
RGB
March 30th, 2011
6:07 pm
td is right about everything he has written and has my vote for the Upstanding Citizen of the Day.
This is in contrast to those God-mocking, Christian-hating, redistributionists who crave the soft tyranny that is today’s liberal party.
You folks should re-read td’s answers to some of the questions you posed to him. Seems he answered them all coherently. Try it some time.
We’re with you td—and also LMS.
The Mark Levin show is on. Gotta go!
td
March 30th, 2011
6:09 pm
GaBlue
March 30th, 2011
6:01 pm
Why is our state ” circles the drain.”. Is it because we do not have enough revenue coming in or taxes are not high enough? Could it be because we need to re examine what the core functions of the state should be. Should a core function of the state be paying for 25% of its citizens to have health insurance? Should a core function be to subsidize the housing, heating and cooling of its citizens? Should a core function be to subsidize the college education of students (not talking about hope)? What should be the core functions of the state be?
Remember the more actions you want the state to take care of the more taxes you will pay.
Ashley
March 30th, 2011
6:10 pm
Churches today are like shopping malls, they’re huge…all this property and its tax free, now that the real sin, More importantly if churches want to play ball in the political arena they should be prepare to pay taxes, your big-mouths and holier-than-thou rhetoric have made you fair game.
Aquagirl
March 30th, 2011
6:19 pm
Should a core function of the state be building Go Fish ramps?
Should a core function of the state be limiting alcohol sales on Sunday?
Should a core function of the state be kicking the current president off of the ballot?
Should a core function of the state be protecting citizens from microchip implants in their anal regions?
These important issues, and many more, are brought to you by your friendly neighborhood Republicans.
The party that claims they want to cut taxes are busy mutilating this tax legislation beyond all recognition, thanks to the dog whistles of their numerous masters. Republicans have been in full control of the General Assembly and the Executive branch for years. Any existing subsidies are there because they permit them. They can’t pass the buck any more.
RGB
March 30th, 2011
6:33 pm
Mocking the Holy Spirit will separate you from Almighty God for all eternity–Ashley.
Better spent a little time making sure you are comfortable with that.
Good night.
findog
March 30th, 2011
6:37 pm
Clear,
Based on you taxes logic sales taxes meet the same threshold
I pay taxes on my earnings, now I have to pay sales taxes with those funds I already paid taxes on
Therefore the State of Georgia having both income and sales taxes is double taxing all of us non-church entities
dave
March 30th, 2011
6:39 pm
Every dollar that goes to a charity, be it a church or otherwise has already been taxed. The church is people, so technically the church is ALREADY being taxed. Libs just want to control the money, so they can control the people. Their attitude is “Screw God, worship the State!” Secular fundamentalism at its best. Oh yeah, you start taxing the church, you can forget about groups like the Salvation Army and Southern Baptists coming to your aid after a tornado, ice storm, fire, etc.; they won’t have the money to do it. Forget about the food pantries, clothes closets, homeless shelters, etc., that the church provides; they’ll be gone too. And you can forget about the after-school programs, day care, kindergartens, and other things that help out the community. Think about THAT for a while.
I know
March 30th, 2011
6:55 pm
The Georgia Baptist Convention is nothing more than a money pit too. The CEO of this corrupt bunch, Robert White, steals over $500,000.oo in salary and benefits per year from Ga Baptist members and most of his buddies aka Pharisees who work with him and make over $100,000.
It is time for a reality check for these boys – their ministry is the dollar and they are worse than the politicians.
Burp Bacharach
March 30th, 2011
7:01 pm
Maybe the baptists will let their guard down if you catch them in a good mood when their drinking in the closest…
findog
March 30th, 2011
7:01 pm
td, all wrong,
The core functions of the government great State of Georgia?
Full employment of lawyers by passing insipid laws to make a point
Provide constitutional ballot questions to support weak candidates by driving up core “values voters”
To hold the halves of metro Atlanta beholden to the agrarian south through redistribution of wealth [taxes]
Provide oversight of professional licenses issued within the state through sensible and fairly applied standards
Ensure every child born gets a long form birth certificate in case they ever want to be president
Label everything with a peach despite the peanut being the top crop and South Carolina surpassing Georgia in fuzzy fruit production
Protect usury rate institutions that prey on unsophisticated borrowers like soldiers
Provide ample morale support yellow ribbons for trees near National Guard Armories; but no real monetary assistance
Demonize, reduce pay and benefits, furlough, and expand workload the common employees the state has hired
Btw, those two handles go together perfectly
Ashley
March 30th, 2011
7:01 pm
@RGB I’m not mocking the holy spirit . I’ll reserved that for the so-call Christian who try to impose their ideas on others and don’t repect someone who’s opinion is different from theirs by trying to ride roughshod on political matters with their unyielding influence and moral authority. Like they say “it cost to be the boss”. enough said
jesus
March 30th, 2011
7:02 pm
the bible is the word of man, god had nothing to do with that crap
Taxpoor
March 30th, 2011
7:07 pm
Churches do a lot of good. You should be bothered more by compa
Noes like GE getting a free pass.
Aquagirl
March 30th, 2011
7:08 pm
I wondered how long it would be before someone busted out the hellfire threats.
td
March 30th, 2011
7:21 pm
Aquagirl
March 30th, 2011
6:19 pm
“Should a core function of the state be building Go Fish ramps?”
Do you realize how much out of state revenue this has brought into the state? I think it has almost paid for the investment already and will bring a ton of money in after it is paid for.
“Should a core function of the state be limiting alcohol sales on Sunday?”
Thia has nothing to do with the functions of the state so it is irrelevant to the conversation. Unless you want to count the increase child and domestic abuse that will happen now and the additional amount of money the state will have to spend in incarcerating the offenders and taking care of the children.
“Should a core function of the state be kicking the current president off of the ballot?”
Yes, the authority of the state is to make sure the candidates are qualified to hold office.
“Should a core function of the state be protecting citizens from microchip implants in their anal regions?”
If there is a chance of this happening then yes.
Now answer my questions I posed if you dare.
Tired of BS
March 30th, 2011
7:23 pm
degee….. have you driven by a school parking lot lately? You will see more Lexus, BMW’s, high end SUV’s, or Mercedes? It ain’t parents driving those cars.
Alabama Communist
March 30th, 2011
7:27 pm
Breaking News!!!!!!!!! In a amazing display of concern, the Baptist Political Arm of the Church were stunned when it recieved 2 ancient Roman Gold Coins from a person claiming to be a Republican Tea Party Jesus who enclosed a note that said ” Refund from overpayment to Ceasar 33 AD. Since that Government does not exist anymore, Please use toward your Republican Paradise to come”
td
March 30th, 2011
7:30 pm
jesus
March 30th, 2011
7:02 pm
the bible is the word of man, god had nothing to do with that crap
Says who? You, and on what authority (education ect) do you have to make such a statement?
Aquagirl
March 30th, 2011
7:37 pm
Ah, td, I can always count on a massive logic fail from you. The consistency is strangely reassuring.
And what questions did you pose? Something earlier in this tangled mass? If it was something about microchipped bottoms I might have to pass on that one.
The Snark
March 30th, 2011
7:38 pm
td:
Good questions. There really needs to be an honest reassessment, by our entire society, of what government should and should not be doing. But there is no such assessment going on. Ony attacks on government and attacks on taxes.
According to the guys that founded this country, self-government is a sacred right. But you wouldn’t know it to listen to what passes for political discourse in this country today. We have only two political parties: one spends its time attacking the very legitimacy of the institutions it seeks to control, and the other one mostly spends its time waiting for the first one to screw up so that it can take those offices back. We deserve better, but we have to insist on it. Instead, we’re waiting for the next Tweet.
Lynne
March 30th, 2011
8:20 pm
Yes, churches should by all means be taxed. I work straight commission sales in very depressed real estate market. This past fall I was in dire financial straights, about to be evicted. I called my ‘Baptist’ church for help. They would not give me a penny. All my ‘born again’ life I tithed, was very generous with resources when able; fact Baptist church would turn away any member in need is disgusting. This church is in Peachtree City, one of most affluent places in nation to reside. Obvious PTC church NOT good stewards. So YAY…tax churches, make them accountable.
My circumstances reversed & I will happily donate to worthy causes, however that church won’t be one of them.
cs
March 30th, 2011
8:28 pm
we must cut corporate taxes and raise others because development nuts giving away taxpayer funded free land, buildings, tax abatements, etc etc etc aint good enough.
we must give more breaks for agriculture because the billions and billions they get from the federal tit aint good enough.