Scientology UK e-petition

[RolandRB]

I can not post a url because I am new but for UK citizens and/or UK residents there is a Scientology e-petition you can sign to help stop this "Church" getting tax breaks in the UK. If you Google......

Scientology epetition

....you will find it.

On one building alone in the UK (146 Queen Victoria street in the City of London) they get excused £270K a year and yet they are not a charity in the UK nor ever likely to become one.

The e-petition needs 100,000 signatures over a year to be debated in the House of Commons so it has a long way to go but hopefully it will catch peoples' attention here and get a few more votes.

 

[ctamblyn]

Link : epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/12501

ETA: Welcome to the forum!

 

[Entropydave]

signed....

we need to stop this organisation.

 

[GrandMasterFox]

Can someone please explain this to me once and for all, why is it that religious organizations get tax breaks in the first place?

 

[Tatyana]

Signed and tweeted.

I also have to facebook this.

 

[Darat]

Can someone please explain this to me once and for all, why is it that religious organizations get tax breaks in the first place?

I thought in the UK the tax exempt status only covers the "charitable" areas of a religion?

 

[Agatha]

Signed and shared on facebook.

 

[Moochie]

Can someone please explain this to me once and for all, why is it that religious organizations get tax breaks in the first place?

From what I've read, it's possible they've got some dope on prominent people in high places -- particularly in the U.S. -- and that this has resulted in a "hands-off" approach by regulators/politicians. Just surmising on my part, but it's difficult to find any other reason for the authorities' inaction.

Given British regulators' kowtowing to all kinds of woo -- see Prof. David Colquhoun's blog at http://www.dcscience.net/ -- it doesn't surprise me that $cientology's been given a free rein.

All the same, the cult's been the subject of an avalanche of bad publicity for a few years now, not least from high-profile former members (not forgetting the wonderful, ongoing "Anonymous" campaign), so this latest initiative may well see some fruit. One lives in hope.

Personally, my take on this organization is that it's a money-making scheme for its controllers, but that its methods actually may help some people circumnavigate life's travails. That said, as far as I know, there are far better methods available for achieving that goal, and ones that don't encourage you to mortgage your future for the privilege. As always, caveat emptor applies. The more the true aims of this cult can be exposed, the better.


M.

 

[Seismosaurus]

Signed

 

[ctamblyn]

Signed and posted the link on FB and Google+.

403 signatures so far.

 

[RolandRB]

Can someone please explain this to me once and for all, why is it that religious organizations get tax breaks in the first place?

Under UK law, there are two ways of getting tax breaks for religions. One is if the building is registered as a place of religious worship. If you can get that done then you get 100% rebate of non-domestic rates. In fact the building will get removed from the rates register. The second way is if the organisation using the building is a charity or "established for charitable purposes". That way they get a mandatory 80% non-domestic rates relief. If they can impress the local authority then this will be topped up to 100% using a further 20% "discretionary" relief. The idea is that charities do good work in the community so they should not have to pay.

 

[GrandMasterFox]

The idea is that charities do good work in the community so they should not have to pay.

I understand that for charities. I don't have a problem with "feeding the poor" gets a tax break.

What I don't get is what religion has to do with it. If an organization is religous but doesn't do any charity work, does it still get a tax break?
From your answer it seems the answer is "yes". Why?

 

[mercian]

Signed and shared

 

[Aepervius]

I can not post a url because I am new but for UK citizens and/or UK residents there is a Scientology e-petition you can sign to help stop this "Church" getting tax breaks in the UK. If you Google......

Scientology epetition

....you will find it.

On one building alone in the UK (146 Queen Victoria street in the City of London) they get excused £270K a year and yet they are not a charity in the UK nor ever likely to become one.

The e-petition needs 100,000 signatures over a year to be debated in the House of Commons so it has a long way to go but hopefully it will catch peoples' attention here and get a few more votes.

However I dislike scientology (dislike being an understatement), if they are a religion, and religion get a tax break *in general* in UK, I cannot sign the petition.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article1975104.ece

Advisers believe the new law, which recognises groups that worship multiple gods, or none at all, entitles the movement to the same privileges as traditional faiths like Christianity.

Pagans, witches, Rastafarians, druids and satanists may also be entitled to start rattling collecting tins bearing the label “registered charity”.

I am sorry, but if this petition was against *ALL* religion getting a tax break i would sign. I do not see a reason to single out one single bad religion among all otehr bad religion.

 

[Undesired Walrus]

What stops someone from signing it twice? Done and facebooked btw.

 

[Wudang]

Personally, my take on this organization is that it's a money-making scheme for its controllers, but that its methods actually may help some people circumnavigate life's travails. That said, as far as I know, there are far better methods available for achieving that goal, and ones that don't encourage you to mortgage your future for the privilege. As always, caveat emptor applies.

The same can be said for heroin.

 

[chillzero]

However I dislike scientology (dislike being an understatement), if they are a religion, and religion get a tax break *in general* in UK, I cannot sign the petition.

I don't believe they are a recognised religion in the UK.

 

[zenbuffy]

What stops someone from signing it twice? Done and facebooked btw.

Last I checked, don't those petitions ask you for your name and address, and other such details? I presume that they do some sort of data-cleansing on the signatures at some stage prior to debate, and that this would weed out false names/addresses and/or duplicates.

 

[Agatha]

The point of the petition is that Scientology is neither a religion nor a charity in the UK, so it should not get the tax breaks which are given to charities.

http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/library/start/cosfulldoc.pdf

 

[arthwollipot]

However I dislike scientology (dislike being an understatement), if they are a religion, and religion get a tax break *in general* in UK, I cannot sign the petition.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article1975104.ece

I am sorry, but if this petition was against *ALL* religion getting a tax break i would sign. I do not see a reason to single out one single bad religion among all otehr bad religion.

I agree. And having done a little research on the subject, I have no problem with Scientology being classified as a religion.