The Republican Party is seeking to repeal the Johnson Amendment in their new tax reform bill.
The Johnson Amendment prohibits nonprofits, and thus churches and pastors, from endorsing particular political candidates and parties if they are to keep their nonprofit status.
Christians have argued that the Johnson Amendment puts a muzzle on churches and religious leaders and even violates their right to free speech.
According to CBNNews.com, GOP leaders plan on getting the tax reform bill on President Trump’s desk by the end of the year.
“Our goal in the House is to get this bill out of the House, passed on the floor by Thanksgiving,” House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) told CBN News.
“Tax reform is very complicated, there’s now more than four million words in our tax code, it’s longer than the Bible, right? Without the good news,” McMorris Rodgers added with a touch of humor. “And I think it’s very important that our members stay focused on the overall goal of providing tax relief to individuals and families and businesses so that everyone can reach their full potential.”
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) added that the tax reform bill aims to simplify the tax code substantially: “It’s going to be a tax simplification, only three or four levels of income, you’re going to literally, 80 percent of the American people are going to be able to fill out their income taxes on the back of a postcard,” said Smith.
Repealing the Johnson Amendment as part of the tax reform bill is the icing on the cake for many Republicans and Christians.
“I’m excited about the Johnson Amendment being put in there that will address the rights of churches and nonprofits to be able to speak without losing their tax exempt status,” stated Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA).
President Trump has also said in the past that he supports repealing the Johnson Amendment.
Photo: Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) speaks during a news conference to discuss their plans for tax reform, September 27, 2017 in Washington, DC. On Wednesday, Republican leaders proposed cutting tax rates for the middle class, wealthy and businesses. Key questions remain on how they plan to offset the trillions of dollars in lost tax revenue.
Photo courtesy: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Publication date: November 2, 2017
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