On Religious Bodies And Taxation

By Tayo Ogunbiyi

Despite initial misgivings concerning the real intentions of the promoters of on-going  National Confab at Abuja, the conference has since kicked off with some very interesting issues already on its front burner.

One of such issues is the one that deals with subjecting  religious bodies in the country to taxation. Presently, religious bodies in the country are exempted from taxes. Since the subject came up, lots of arguments have been put up, either for or against, by public affairs analysts , social commentators and other stake holders. Some have argued that since some religious institutions make more money than most corporate organisations, they should be dragged into the tax net.

Others are of the view that the extreme flambouyant lifestyle of some religious leaders in the country is indicative of the excessive wealth at their disposal and as such the organisations which they preside over, which generate such excessive fund in the first place, must be subjected to taxation.

Others have equally argued that the business ventures of  most of these religious bodies should be subjected to taxation since they are strictly profit making undertakings.On the other hand, those who are against the move have argued that since the income of religious bodies are largely made up of voluntary gifts, donations, offerings and contributions from willing members, who have already paid taxes on their income, taxing them would only amount to double taxation.

Another argument that has been put forward by those opposed to taxation of religious bodies is that what they bring to the table in terms of  providing spiritual coverage for the country is invaluable. Consequently, subjecting them to taxation would be considered an act of ingratitude by the government.

According to those who hold this view, the only reason why the country has not disintegrated completely is because of the fervent prayers being offered, on behalf of the country, by these religious institutions.

Some have even gone further to declare that taxing religious bodies is an affront on God, whose interests the bodies are projecting. And when God is angry, He could complicate the country’s troubles! Such is, indeed, the fury of those against taxing religious bodies that they have labeled our elders at the National Confab, idle men and women who are chasing shadow instead of substance.   To them, the Confab members ought to direct their energy and time towards more pressing issues such as insecurity, poverty, power failure, corruption, electoral malpractices, infrastructure development  and the likes rather than wasting time discussing  what they considered to be insignificant and of little expediency to the country.

As it is, we are yet to hear the last concerning the contentious matter. However, while the wise men and women at the Confab continue to deliberate on the issue and other related matters, one would like to provoke further discourse on the subject and other allied issues. For one, the current debate on taxation of religious bodies should be seen as a wake- up call by religious leaders in the country.

They should see it as a reflection of the mood of some Nigerians in respect of the ungodly activities of some of them. It is generally believed that some of the religious organisations in the country have become business empires of their leaders who have become cult –figures being worshipped as gods by their followers. Some of them have been accused of subjecting their followers to lives of penury and distress while they continue to live in unbelievable opulence and extravagance.

The call for taxation of religious bodies should, therefore, be seen as a manifestation of current thinking in the land that some of them are mere business conglomerates  established to oil the insatiable thirst  of their leaders for material acquisition. It is, indeed, paradoxical that some religious leaders, who preach the transient nature of the world to their followers, now go to any length to acquire worldly opulence.

Years ago, calling for religious bodies and their leaders to be taxed, would have been regarded by many as a blasphemous move.  However,  current trend within our religious organizations has shown that lots of them have sacrificed piety on the altar of mundane pursuit. It is, for instance, immoral and unjustifiable for  religious bodies to establish institutions of learning  that charge fees that are beyond the reach of majority of their members.

In the pre-colonial and colonial periods, when European missionaries introduced western education into the country, what they offered was fee education. Their ultimate goal was to massively educate the people. Indeed, most modern day religious leaders benefited from the free education programme of the early missionaries. It is, thus, ironic that same people could preside over organisations that are taking education beyond the reach of the ordinary folks.

Though, many have argued that it takes huge funds to set up quality institutions of learning, but, in all sincerity, it is indefensible for religious organisations that used members’ funds to establish schools to charge fees that are above the means of same members. It is better they hands off education completely than to get involved in such controversial circumstances.  It should, however, be emphasized that there are still religious bodies and leaders in the country who remain committed to the spirit and details of their divine callings.

Those that belong to this category are widely respected across the land for their selfless service to God and mankind. It should also be accentuated that some religious organisations are fully involved in corporate social responsibilities that have largely impacted lives in various ways. This, of course, is a core essence of religious bodies and leaders.By and large, the lesson to take away from the controversial issue of taxation of religious organisations is that religious bodies and their leaders should focus more on re-building the collapse spiritual fabric of the society. It is ethically wrong for some of our religious leaders to display extreme affluence in the face of so much poverty, hunger, frustration and impoverishment  in the society.

Instead of encouraging pointless display of materialism, they need to work hard to ensure the regeneration of waning  divine principles such as contentment, selflessness, discipline, integrity and love within their organisations, and the society at large. Rather than hobnobbing with those who come up with anti-people policies and programmes that inflict pains on the people, religious bodies and individuals should rise up to condemn anti people actions and policies . It is only in doing this that their relevance in the society could be entrenched. Now is time for religious bodies in the country to go back to the basics.

•Ogunbiyi wrote from Alausa, Lagos.