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Register The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster as a Religious Organization

According to Canadian law, section 220 (1) (h) reads:

220 (1) Unless otherwise provided in this Act or the Local Government Act, the following property is exempt from taxation to the extent indicated: (h) a building set apart for public worship, and the land on which the building stands, if title to the land is registered in the name of (i) the religious organization using the building, (ii) trustees for the use of that organization, or (iii) a religious organization granting a lease of the building and land to be used solely for public worship."

Consider the following scenario:

Register The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster as a religious organization.
Allow the general public to become a trustee of that organization.
Provide an open house on Sundays.
Worship the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

People would transform their houses into FSM Churches and consequently be exempt from taxation.

Is this legally possible?

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Permalink Reply by Tom M. on June 18, 2012 at 7:30am

Well maybe by the letter of the law it would be but I can't see any way a judge would rule that people wouldn't have to pay taxes...

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Permalink Reply by T X on June 18, 2012 at 9:11pm

And that is precisely the point. A judge would have to show why followers of the FSM would have to pay taxes while followers of Christianity do not.

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Permalink Reply by booklover on June 18, 2012 at 8:01am

Makes as much sense as un-taxed churches, temples, etc. Give it a try!

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Permalink Reply by T X on June 18, 2012 at 9:11pm

I discovered something about Dec 31, 1977 and needing to be directly related to a previous religion...

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Permalink Reply by Jim DePaulo on June 23, 2012 at 1:36pm

If the Scientologists can be registered as a tax exempt cburch (or the Mormons for that matter) why can't a group of people that wants to worship a short order of spagetti and a meatball be a tax exempt church. It makes as much sense as does malevelent aliens living in a volcano or some mystical planet where god lives.

I think it's a great idea.