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Eric
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Does the Federal Government Give Money to Churches?
4 stars|5 comments|February 04, 2009|422 reads
 

Hard to believe, but it's true.  I was doing my taxes with one of those online dealies that show how much you owe the government in the corner each time you click Next.  When I entered in my charitable givings to my local congregation (my tithe), the number changed from a negative refund (I owe) to a positive one!  Doing a little experimentation by temporarilly setting my tithe to $0 (you can do this with software), I jotted down this other number and did the math:  I figure I'm getting 15.4% back of what I gave to my church!

To use a simple example, if I give $1000 to my church, the government will give me $154 back!

Granted, this might be specific to me alone.  Because of my tithe, I qualified for an itemized deduction over the standard deduction.  The tax code can be pretty complicated; maybe I'm in a different pre-midlife crisis category or something.

But still: that's quite a lot!  And you know what that means?  That's that much more I can give to my church or some other charity!  Thanks, Uncle Sam!

And all thanks and glory to God!  I'm continually amazed at how when I give my money freely away, more seems to come out of nowhere to meet my daily needs!  His hands are soft and warm; it's nice being held up in them :)


 
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Hudnall
 Hudnall
February 05, 2009
It has always been that way.  However, we may see that changing here soon.
Tago
 Tago
February 08, 2009
Whoa, I never thought of it. This good wake-up call, but like Bubbles say; It'll change.
Joyful Servant
 Joyful Servant
February 08, 2009
Bless your generous spirit for giving to the needy!
Mike n Laura
 Mike n Laura
April 28, 2009

Eric, I never thought of it that way. The Feds look at church giving as charitable giving, i.e. money given to a church goes to helping people. So, like any gift to charity, money you give to church is deducted from your total taxable earnings, therefore lowering your income (in Uncle Sam's eyes) and therefore the amount you owe in taxes. Since you overpaid, you get something back from the IRS.

Of course, technically you don't receive anything from the Feds. You simply get back the overpayment you gave in the first place. Or am I missing something? :)

Eric
 Eric
April 28, 2009
You got the right of it, Mike!  But from my perspective, I'm getting money I've never seen before (withholding).  I've budgeted myself for the year, so what am I to do with this extra money the government just gave me (back)?  It's just that much more to give to God!  :)  Cheers!