How much does the Government of Canada subsidize religion? Over the next year, CFIC will be reviewing Canada Revenue Agency data to bring you the answer to this important question. In 2017, subsidizing religious charities through charitable tax rebates cost Canadians in excess of $2 billion. It was more than the entire national student grant program and as much as the federal government will collect from the carbon tax in 2019.
The Cost of Religion in Canada is a series of reports being published by the Centre for Inquiry Canada in an effort to promote public discourse and the examination of the social, cultural and political role and cost of religion in our society. Click to read Part 1: Canadian Taxpayers Funding the Advancement of Religion 1
I have for 50 years wanted to do what you are now doing with Cost of Religion in Canada. Thank you.
50 years ago I started my professional life as trainee with Revenue Canada (currently Canada Revenue Agency). One thing that became very clear to me as a skeptic was that the Canadian taxpayer was subsidising religion on a basis not offered to any other type of organization. I was offended by this and have been ever since.
I have always believed that most Canadians with no or a loose association with an organized religion would be offended if they understood the facts and the truth behind these donations.
One area I am hoping will be examined in your subsequent reports is how the tax deducted money raised by religions are spent. If you examine the difference between religions and other charities the way money is spent is shocking and for other charities would result in them loosing their CRA registration.
I suggest 2 areas to examine:
1. Cost of maintaining empty buildings and cost of staffing (administration cost). Pick any one of the major churches in downtown of a large city and think what it cost to maintain these building which are sparsely used, then think of the cost of the salary for the clergy. These are subsidised with your tax dollars. Then multiply that by all the religious space big and small and think of the cost to the taxpayer for this subsidy.
2. More offensive in my opinion is the subsidy the taxpayer offers to sex offenders and the abuse inflicted on the indigenous people by organized religion. Every time a clergy sex offender is brought to light thousand of tax deducted dollars are paid out to defend the perpetrator, the organization and to compensate the victims. What other criminal gets to use tax deducted donations to settle the law suits that result form their action. The settlements paid (and still outstanding) for the abuse rendered in the indigenous residential schools is paid with tax deductible donations. Why?
All other charities must manage the administration cost to a percentage of the cost of delivering the stated service but not religions. Can you imagine any other charity maintaining massive empty edifices and pay outs resulting form criminal negligent activity and still qualifying as a registered charity.
Keep up the good work of informing Canadians.
https://rcav.org/wp-content/uploads/Report-on-Clergy-Sexual-Abuse-Vancouver.pdf