A couple of days ago, I speculated that Mitt Romney might pay more in his Mormon Church tax, called “tithing,” than he does in tax to the US government. I was right!
MITT TITHES MORE THAN HE PAYS IN TAXES!!!
There is a lot more that is disturbing in these returns … untaxed income, overseas accounts and more. For example, it is interesting that despite having a huge “unearned” income, Mr. Romney pays LESS that the 15% minimum rate. How can this be? Presumably a portion of Mitt’s income is sheltered from taxes … municipal binds, depreciation on his assorted businesses, and, of course, the tax deduction for religious contributions. . Even in Mitt’s rather low bracket (he pays only 14% tax to Uncle), the tax exemption means that the US government actually paid $980.000 to the Mormon Church through Mr. Romney!
Getting this huge tax break in return for tithing to the Mormon Church raises two other issues:
1. Mr. Romney eschews the role of the US government in providing welfare for the poor, because welfare makes people lazy. His Mormon Church runs a huge Mormon exclusive welfare program. Apparently if you are a Mormon, receiving welfare does not make you lazy!
2. The Mormon church not only practices religion, it runsa several profitable businesses. In effect Romney belongs to an untaxed corporation that provides benefits to its members. Since Mitt is a Mormon, presumably some of those benefits accrue to him or his family. One such benefit is probably the Church’s support to the missionary experience required of all Mormons. an experience Mitt himself once used to escape having to go to Vietnam.
No, I am not anti Mormon. I am hugely impressed with that community’s values What bothers me is the hypocrisy of an uber wealthy man like Mr. Romney who sees his church as proving a desirable alternative to military service and sees welfare given by the church as OK bit would deny the same benefits coming from the government to those of us who are not followers of Joseph Smith.