tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647898.post113303348509638953..comments2022-09-26T07:59:23.908-05:00Comments on The Executive Summary: Should arts organizations qualify as "charities"?Paul Mattessichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14829591324879940661noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647898.post-1133922135947400332005-12-06T20:22:00.000-06:002005-12-06T20:22:00.000-06:00I think this is a really interesting question. Cha...I think this is a really interesting question. Charity, I'm pretty sure, comes from the Latin caritas ("love") and originally meant self-giving toward others. I've been told that the rationale behind tax-free status is to not tax groups that are not part of the government, but are performing services for society that government would otherwise need to perform (like health care, education, immigrant assistance) or that are seen as a worthwhile good for society (like the arts and, I believe, religious worship and congregational care & outreach). Does anybody know whether this is the original & still-functioning idea behind tax-free status?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647898.post-1133188589717590232005-11-28T08:36:00.000-06:002005-11-28T08:36:00.000-06:00Churches have gotten off easy in this country. Th...Churches have gotten off easy in this country. They collect a lot of money, and they own a lot of property. They use up services, like you say. If we have separation of church and state, the churches should pay taxes. All organizations should pay taxes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com