system
A chat on subreddit /r/NoStupidQuestions
human
When my cousin died, a local church paid for his memorial services and dealt with all that stuff with no strings attached. His mom had four other kids and it would have been overwhelming to deal with to say the least, never mind the fact that the cost would have bankrupted her. I've also seen plenty of local churches help out when there are natural disasters or when a community member has a fire or something. Then there is the grieving assistance, the sense of community, etc. It's hard for adults to build community sometimes, but joining a good church is one of the easiest ways to do it. Feels good to know that there are nice people taking the time out of their day to pray for you and your family and that they genuinely care for you. I'm not religious myself and I have been to some shitty churches, but the good ones absolutely have a positive impact on the community.

I do still agree that they should be taxed though, at least on the income that is not going back into the community. Like the preacher should be taxed on their income and if they use the church money to pay for their living spaces (common in rural areas to have a church attached to a house) that should be taxed. I don't see why it can't be handled as a special tax form where the church leader or whoever just enters in how much money they received and list deductions from that for the upkeep of the church and services they provide the community.
gpt
&gt;I don't see why it can't be handled as a special tax form where the church leader or whoever just enters in how much money they received and list deductions from that for the upkeep of the church and services they provide the community.

Those are income and payroll taxes and the preacher/other staff and the church both have to pay their part just like with any for profit company. That includes taxes for accommodations.