Vox populi | show me the money

How much should I give?

I

n corps, I was always dubbed the money guy.  Should we take an offering on Christmas Eve?  You’re kidding right?  I’m the money guy.  Pass the plate.  Is giving for the members of the congregation only?  Nope, why rob all the visitors of an opportunity to worship God through their giving.  That is the thinking of the “money guy”.  You hate me, but having me around keeps the lights lit so you can pray longer in the corps.  Well, here we are again, and here’s a blog from… yes, you’ve got it right… the money guy.

It’s tax time in Canada, and I suspect other places too. Here we have a system of accountability, others call it government intrusion.  Okay, I call it government intrusion and others call it accountability.  The official term is “audit”, and it isn’t seen as a positive experience.  In fact, people fear the tax audit, even when they have nothing to fear.  Audits are triggered by anomalies in your tax return.  For example, you claim childcare expenses of $4,000 for the year.  It sounds reasonable except you don’t have any children.  Over the past five years you’ve separated from your spouse every November 15th and reconciled by May 11th of the following year, just long enough to get a single parent deduction on your taxes.  These ‘anomalies’ will find you in front of a tax auditor.  Actually, you don’t even speak to a person.  They have computer programs that weed out these things.

Here’s another anomaly that can trigger a tax audit.  Your financial giving to the church.  If you give 10% you are probably fine, and if you give like most Christians in the western hemisphere, the tax department actually sends you a sermon on tithing and giving in fear for your spiritual well-being (okay, that isn’t true).  However, if you give more than 10% to charity, including church, World Vision, the Cancer Society and all the rest, then the computer runs the program, and makes a moral determination that no Canadian in their right mind would give more than 10% to church, charity etc.  The conclusion results in a tax audit.  This government intrusion might actually help all the people wrestling with the question: “How much should I give?”

It’s a question everyone asks… is it 10% and then giving on top of that? Do I tithe on my gross or on my net income? What about my time, resources and assets? What if someone else pays my housing and vehicle costs? Isn’t that an Old Testament principle? On and on it goes… 
 Here’s an idea to determine whether you are giving enough.  Let the government decide. You see, if the government feels your giving is in line with your income they’ll process your return and all will be well. If they feel that no one making the income you make could possibly give that much away to charity then they’ll start to take notice. I’m not sure, but I think they call it the Widow’s Mite clause 3.2a ii84. You’ll know when they feel like you’re giving too much because at that point they’ll ask you to submit your charitable receipts because they’re going to audit you.
  So don’t give 10%. Don’t give on your gross or net. Give until you are audited.  Try it out… by the way, while you may be able to out give the tax woman, you can’t out give God.

Vox populi appears every Friday on theRubicon. Find past Vox populi posts and a bio of Capt. Rick Zelinsky here.

1 Comment to Vox populi | show me the money

1. Interesting idea. The math of giving is so intriguing. In Zim we’re making less than we ever have (currently less than $2US/month) and yet we’re also giving away more than we ever have to others. Oh, and about the offerings - you should come here. A Salvation Army service isn’t complete without at least 2-3 offerings!
Rochelle McAlister on April 6th, 2008

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