Thai temple tax gets opposition from abbots

[Mr Somtam]

There are 227 rules for monks, some of them are these:

The 30 nissaggiyas

1. Not to keep an extra robe more than ten days at a time.

2. Not to spend the night far from one of his three robes.

Not to keep the clothing material meant for the tailoring of a robe more than one month at a time.

Not to have a robe washed or dyed by a bhikkhunī who is not a relative.

Not to accept a robe from a bhikkhunī who is not a relative.

Not to ask someone who is not a relative for a robe.

Not to ask for more than one upper robe and one lower robe in case of loss of the three robes.

Not to ask for a good quality robe from a dāyakā who is saving money to offer one.

Not to ask for a good quality robe from two dāyakas who are saving money to offer one each.

Not to appoint a kappiya on his own, nor to be too pushy with a kappiya who is supposed to provide something.

Not to accept carpets containing silk.

Not to accept the floor carpets only made of black sheep wool.

Not to accept a floor carpet that is, for more than half of it, made with black sheep wool and a quarter in white wool.

Not to purchase another floor carpet as long as the former is not six years old yet.

Not to make a new carpet without adding a part of the old one.

Not to carry wool along with oneself for more than three walking days.

Not to make someone else wash, dye or card the wool for a bhikkhunī.

Not to accept money.

Not to use money.

Not to exchange things.

Not to keep an extra bowl more than ten days at a time.

Not to ask for a new bowl as long as the present one does not have at least five cracks or has not become unusable.

Not to keep medicinal foods more than seven days at a time.

Not to get a bath robe, sewed, dyed or brought before the full moon.

Not to take back a robe after having offered it.

Not to get the robe woven.

Not to ask for a robe to be woven bigger and of better quality than the one that the donor had planned to give.

Not to accept any extra robe – offered or not out of emergency – beyond the authorised period.

Not to leave one of the robes more than six nights in a village, at the end of the vassa period, while lodging in a dangerous area.

Not to divert for his own benefit a donation made to the saṃgha.

[Smokemachine]

If tax is to be levied on monks, he could predict fewer people to ordain to Buddhism.

So now Buddhism is the way to the bank?

[geriatrickid]

All this crap about poor temples is a red herring. Its quite easy to make an tax exempt amount so poor temples don't have to pay tax.

Also tax is paid on the surplus of money (profit) not before cost so talking about now not being able to pay for water and power is crap because tax will be levied after those expenses.

I can't believe how stupid some people are probably never took accounting at school

I see where you are going, but keep in mind that there are more pressing concerns for the entrepreneurial abbots: They will have to start keeping proper books and be able to explain the expenses if the tax department ever has the nerve to eventually audit these businesses.

[robblok]

All this crap about poor temples is a red herring. Its quite easy to make an tax exempt amount so poor temples don't have to pay tax.

Also tax is paid on the surplus of money (profit) not before cost so talking about now not being able to pay for water and power is crap because tax will be levied after those expenses.

I can't believe how stupid some people are probably never took accounting at school

I see where you are going, but keep in mind that there are more pressing concerns for the entrepreneurial abbots: They will have to start keeping proper books and be able to explain the expenses if the tax department ever has the nerve to eventually audit these businesses.

Sure its not easy.. but some temples are just too rich. Some oversight is needed and paying tax is not a bad thing. If they are true Buddist then they could with the surplus help the poor (deductible). Then they don't have to pay tax. You only pay tax on the surplus of money after costs and to be fair I don't see why temples should be excluded.

Your point about audits is well taken because you can make all the laws you want without enforcement its useless. Just look at traffic here and the cops.

[Ulic]

All religions/organizations should be taxed, they are all big business.

[soalbundy]

The Thai Buddhist many not be perfect but if all you tax lusters

want to make sure they stray even farther from Buddhism

then by all means tax the hell out of them....

They could always lie about their income on their tax return forms, they are good at that.

[torpedo1970]

TIT

If the super rich temples would re-distribute the wealth to those other not so well off temples....

But no....

Somnomna.... i have no mercy to spare to these greedy so and so......

the teaching of lord Buddha is secondary nowadays

i see these men in robe spending and using money on a daily basis...

[willyumiii]

No religion any where in the world should be tax exempt.

They make huge profits selling fantasies.

The cost of producing fantasies is very low..no materials, and no labor.

Are we surprised those who profit from this do not want to be taxed???

Uncle Albert says...

[Nobb]

To many big head lines about bad Monks with huge wealth. The government reads the headlines so they do the right thing. Some Monks are living better then the poor Thai people who support them. Not all Monks are bad and this law will not effect them. But who counts the offerings the Monks receive and who does there tax income information?

Edited May 27, 2015 by Nobb

[Lupatria]

So the lucrative sales of amulets and charging for Las Vegas style mind freak shows is not considered a business and has to be tax free, while there are attempts to tax soft drinks?

[Shiver]

Sounds to me like a way to calm down the idea of rich temples or disingenuous behaviour by using a different tool to do the job. That is to say, monks shouldn't be dealing with money if following the precepts to the letter, so if there is a tax on money then 'surely' they wouldn't have issue with it since it wouldn't affect them, would it?

Okay I accept that we live in a different world now, and a little accommodation for a phone card or bus ride might be needed (depending on views), but money isn't the only transactional method available.

As for whether or not it is a religion, that's a technicality in that it doesn't have a deity so you could say it's not one, and the first Buddha was a regular dude that found an interesting path. Since then people have started to call him 'Lord' and other words that imply hierarchy. All sounds a bit Monty Python to me, but if they're not worrying the horses then I'd say live and let live.

[khaowong1]

A couple of thousand years ago, so we are led to believe, a man in Jerusalem kicked out people from the temples.

Where is this chap today?

"And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."

—Matthew 21:12–13 Wikipedia.

I am not of the Christian faith although I was born in a Christian country. Thai temples have turned Siddhartha Gautama's teachings upside down.

No wonder Henry VIII dissolved the Catholic monasteries and abbeys over 500 years ago in England. Granted, the Vatican continues the business of religion in the world today. Religion = big business.

Greed, pure and simple. Just like Thai temples, commercial operations with a facade of piety

Henry VIII kicked out the Catholic church because the Pope wouldn't dis-solve his marriage to his first wife. She didn't produce a son for him.

[hookedondhamma]

Need new Buddhism. The old has been corrupted through the bones.

lol.

The people dressing in robes doing wrong and the laypeople supporting them (also doing wrong if they know of their misdeeds) are corrupt.

the words of the Buddha are pure and never corrupt. It's people who are overwhelmed with greed for money, merit, good luck and status that do the damage to themselves.

too bad most people can't see that.

I do agree with the tax though; especially about the tenure. Wats are funhouses (not all but many) because the abbot is too busy ignoring the problems in it.

the reform council should however use their efforts to give the sangha council a swift kick.

if the sangha council actually did their job competently there would be no need for laypeople getting involved in their affairs ... but hey, that's normal at many a temple here anyway.

[Dap]

All this crap about poor temples is a red herring. Its quite easy to make an tax exempt amount so poor temples don't have to pay tax.

Also tax is paid on the surplus of money (profit) not before cost so talking about now not being able to pay for water and power is crap because tax will be levied after those expenses.

I can't believe how stupid some people are probably never took accounting at school

I see where you are going, but keep in mind that there are more pressing concerns for the entrepreneurial abbots: They will have to start keeping proper books and be able to explain the expenses if the tax department ever has the nerve to eventually audit these businesses.

The first principle of accounting they are bound to learn is how to keep two sets of books

[Mr Somtam]

The fact that they make money should ring all the alarm bells, huh? Oh, just wake up, I'm in Thailand right? Never mind...