NO, sorry I dont have a form letter. But I do appreciate you writing to her!

Jo Lori (jldisme on Youtube)

I saw this post in a Bing Search related to some research I am doing. I am a resident of Clearwater, FL where the Church of Scientology has directly and indirectly acquired hundreds of properties, taking many off the tax rolls thus shifting the tax burden to others.

I don’t wish to debate the validity of the religious exemption Scientology won from the IRS, yet I do want to debate the practice of hiring and using an army of lawyers to fight property assessors who attempt to determine that some of the properties owned by Scientology are not used for religious or charitable purposes, and thus not eligible for property tax exemptions.

I also question many of the activities of Scientology which seem to confer ‘excess benefits’ to Miscavige and others who occupy senior positions in the Organization.

Having received tax exemption from the IRS as a religious organization, the Church of Scientology and its many affiliates are also exempt from filing an annual “Information Return” (Form 990) with the IRS: ‘They are encouraged to file, but not required to file.’ The 990 provides a treasure trove of information, including executive compensation, benefits, governance, etc.

If I was a gangster posing as a religious leader, I would want to be exempt from any public disclosure, including the requirement to file a 990.

If I was an honest, fair, selfless religious leader I would hope to be fairly compensated for my education, wisdom and service so that I had adequate shelter, nutrition and safety, but I wouldn’t object to disclosing the financial affairs of my organization, which would include disclosure of my personal compensation and benefits.

This goes well beyond Scientology as there are more than a few Religious Organizations which opt into the nondisclosure option.

Yet, a rather large number of religious organizations which have received tax exemption from the IRS continue to file their 990 forms every year.

This seems to be another serious and dangerous loophole in our Federal Tax Laws that needs to be addressed.

We, The People, ought to know what is going on behind the curtain, particularly because we are left paying the piper when tax exempt organizations stray from the garden path.

I noticed that on the receipts (from membership payments or payments toward the Bridge / courses) it is called a “donation”. I would imagine that it is written that was as you are not mandated to “refund” or “repay” donation. As sick as it all is, it is also brilliant.

Especially a billion year one, lol. Really though, arent they signing something at every level they need to pay for?

Mike, my sister is current Scientologist. She says one time, the church drove her to a bank to give them money (possibly from stocks) to pay for her courses and avoid paying taxes on cashing them out. She had to prove her husband was deceased. Could this be possible? She said it was not a gift.