This one will cause panic, but it is the truth, we have been running from this topic for the longest, Every Sunday one big church in my country collects about five million naira offering, in a month, we are talking about 20 million chilling in the church account. And no one is saying anything about tax? How long are we going to continue like this? Which business makes that much and doesn't pay tax? Have we forgotten that our tax also helps to develop the country and boost the economy? On my street, we have about ten different big churches, if not more than, but there are no clinics, no manufacturing factory. These churches collect money from citizens without adding any value to the country or the economy. This is not a direct attack on this body of Christ, churches or pastors, but I can't stop wondering why a pastor that could afford a private jets and drive expensive cars can't pay tax from where he makes most of his money from. The members that pays tithe and sufferings can't even afford a car, they trek to church daily. This is business not religion, if churches and mosques pay 10 percent tax, government can use it to build schools, fix the church roads that has been ignored by the pastors, and build a well infrastructure hospitals. Right now pastors are the richest landlords in Africa, if you make money like business, you should pay tax like business, God isn't against paying tax. Since you have been paying your tithe and offering, what else has your pastor give you in return except prayers that doesn't work without hard work? Some of us don't even have the privilege of even meeting them one on one. They always set a high standard, so we can't reach them.
I've seen this kind of talks before but honestly I really don't like where this is actually going. People keep pointing at the big offerings some churches collect every sunday and saying it should be taxed like a business. Five million here and there and suddenly everyone is calculating what the government could do with yhe money. But church is not a supermarket or a factory. People give willingly. Nobody is forcing them to drop money in the basket. That money is between them and their faith, not something the tax officer should automatically reach for. Yes, some pastors actually do live large. Having all sorts of luxury and private jets, big cars and houses. If government starts treating a place of worships and some business, it opens a very hard door that's impossible to close today can be 10% tomorrow can be something entirely different.
We all are aware that government doesn't actually use the tax money for what it's intended for, bad roads, bad hospitals with less equipments. I'm not saying pastors should be above question, If someone is living far above the people they lead, it's fair to talk about it. But turning it into a tax campaign again churches and mosques is not something I can support. Faith spaces are not the same as commercial business.
