It seems every time that a new tax is looking like it may raise its ugly head there is public outcry and rage, business dries up in retail outlets, politicians run for cover, dogs howl at night for no real reason….

 There is a group of people however, who laugh in the face of our anguish, wipe away the tears in their eyes from their laughter with $100 bills, those people are our religious leaders.

We tax everything else, why not religion? In fact religions can actually cause us regular tax payers to be disadvantaged by their ability to dodge tax.

“How so?” You may well ask, well consider this:

 We all feel the pinch at the grocery store, as companies are forced to put up their prices to stay in business during tough times, however some have a distinct advantage over others. Take Australian company Uncle Toby’s for example, the makers of Vita Brits, and several other cereals, they face some tough competition with Sanitarium going after the same market with Weet Bix, and their ranges of mueslis’ and breakfast drinks.

 Sanitaruim  are the leading brand in this space due to their advertising spend, use of sports stars, catchy jingles, but also because they are slightly cheaper than Uncle Tobys.

Uncle Tobys, are just a humble Aussie company that keeps a few thousand Aussies in work, they have a great name, so you probably wonder why they can’t compete, and the sad truth is, that it’s because they pay tax.

Sanitarium, on the other hand, being owned by the Seventh Day Adventists, do not pay tax, giving them a ridiculous advantage.

And it’s not just Uncle Toby’s copping it, pity the poor cafe owner trying to compete with the rollout of Gloria Jeans outlets all over the country, brought to you by that radical cult called Hillsong.

 I know that a lot of charity work is done by some of these religions, so anything that does some good should be supported right? Wrong remember even Adolf Hitler and Tony Abbott kissed babies.

 I am not suggesting that all religions should be taxed, some of the mainstream religions such as Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Uniting Church, could be exempt, even though these churches are responsible for a huge percentage of the worlds paedophiles… but that’s another matter.

This tax would be designed to target companies like Hillsong, groups like The Bretheren, and crazies like The Church Of Scientology.

 This would not only raise a mountain of cash, it would also create employment, as you would need an office set up in each state to determine which religious organisations would be able to claim exemption from this tax.

 Religions would still be able to support charity organisations of course and claim these payments as tax deductions, however these would be capped at a percentage of church income, and charities would also need to be checked by authorities before being able to provide a tax deductable donation status, so as to avoid the absolute maze and web of charity shelf companies being owned by the likes of Hillsong, and hence stop then taking funds from one pocket and donating it to the other.

 You may think that I’m dreaming wanting this tax to be introduced, however I’m not alone, there are thousands of people just like me who pay our taxes, and are sick of seeing these companies, and con men get off tax free.

This current government represents our best opportunity yet to get this tax through. With the parliament numbers so evenly spread, and with the increase in private members bills expected to go before no confidence motions in the House Of Representatives, and with the Senate stacked the way it is, we may just have a shot at this.

 What to do, we should all be putting pressure on the Federal Members in our electorate, tell them that this tax is in the interests of a fairer tax system for all, and would be a wonderful thing for Australia’s  economic future.

 If we don’t ask, we won’t get…