Dr Lawrence Tetteh, an author and world-renowned evangelist has said the idea of taxing churches in Ghana is an insult.
He said it is only ungodly people who are asking that churches in the country be taxed.
Speaking on Asaase Radio, Dr Tetteh said “…Today very ignorant people wake up and say the church should be tax; that is an insult. From the economic point of view that is double taxation.
“Remember in the history of the Bible, we had ungodly people asked the church to be taxed. What people lose sight of is that the people you think are very rich you can count them; you live in Ghana, how many pastors use Land Cruisers? If you take the few of us [pastors] that seem to be doing well, we are not more than ten.
“The rest that you don’t see are in pain, and debt, and do not have a place to sleep. In fact, if you go to certain pastors’ homes, you will be very sad for them.”
He added: “… you cannot tax the church. The church is only being benevolent to society.”
He said the country needs to applaud the church for its effort at helping develop the nation and not demonise it [the church] because if we do that we demoralize people and undermine people’s hard-won reputation.
Dr Tetteh said but for the church in Ghana, the nation would have been an illiterate country.
“The gifts that the church receives go back into the church; school fees are being paid [from these]. If you look at Ghana, but for the church, the nation would have been as illiterate as some nations of the sub-region I don’t want to mention…we should applaud the church…”
He added: “When you tax the church what do you gain? If you want to look at it critically, it’s only anti-church people who complain that the church pays tax…”
Source: asaaseradio.com
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Since when did the ownership or use of land cruiser the basis for paying taxes? I don't get the argument here.
Does the tomato seller at the market who pay market toll uses land cruiser?
The churches should be taxed paa. 1. If talk of tithes and offering in the bible the priests and Levite's who rece I bed the tithes also paid tithes on tithes so received. 2. If house owners PPP at permits for land use churches should do same. 3. They should also pay for noise pollution. 4. If everybody pays taxes on profits made why not the church businesses 5. Foreign owned churches should pay higher rates of raxes And many more reasons
No it's not an in$ult so please stop the misinformation. What did Christ say? Give to Ceasar what's Caesars. How come people like mr pastor who profess to have a direct line and access to God and his son Christ pick and choose? Please churches and all religious bodies have to pay to help the country develop.