This, from Slog tipper David, could be a big reason why Mitt Romney doesn’t want to release his tax returns:
Romney has always been a major donor to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which requires that members “tithe,” or give 10 percent of their income to the church. His family charity, called the Tyler Foundation, has given more than $4 million to the church in the past five years, including $1.8 million in 2008 and $600,000 in 2009. But because Romney, whose fortune has been estimated at $250 million, has never released his personal tax returns, the full extent of his giving has never been public.
Newly uncovered stock contributions made during Romney’s Bain days suggest there is another dimension to Romney’s support for the church — one that could involve millions more than has been previously disclosed.
While I’m sure many people will consider Romney’s religious donations to be a sign of a decent, hardworking American, his staff is trying as hard as they can to keep his religion from becoming an issue at this point in his campaign. And in the general election, there’s the issue of Prop. 8 and the intrusion of the Mormon church into government matters to consider.
I wonder if it is possible that he’s actually given less than a tithe, and that’s the reason he doesn’t want those numbers made public.
I assume that the Almighty doesn’t tax capital gains at a lower rate…
Just to be clear, that is 100% speculation on my part, and I have absolutely nothing with which to back it up. Except that I would find it really, really funny.
If noone knows how close his ties to his church are till he’s the nominee, and then it comes out that he has given a lot to the Mormon church, the republican machine will have no choice but to defend the mormons morning noon and night. Regardless of Romney winning, it could be the best thing to happen to the church since Utah. Conservatives have usually not liked mormons, and they may find themselves having to love them if Fox News tells them to.
@1 If that is the case, it would be a pretty huge no-no for such a prominent member of the church. When they say 10%, they mean 10%, no matter how much you make or how you make it. If he’s not tithing as required, then he’s not a “Mormon in Good Standing”. That would not be a good thing in terms of keeping up his support from the LDS community.
My understanding is that, unlike Christianity or Catholicism where tithing is strongly suggested but not really enforced, the LDS church will discipline members who don’t fork over the appropriate share of income.
I’m with 1, here. This could go either way for him – either he has donated a huge amount to the Mormon church, which would piss off evangelicals, or he’s not donated enough to the church, which will make him look bad to everyone. No wonder he doesn’t want this to be made a big deal.
It raises an interesting question of how the Mormon church calculates the expected tithes. For ordinary members, do they pay on the honor system based on their tax returns? For extremely wealthy people like Mitt, are they expected to pay based on increases in net worth due to inheritance, offshore and other tax-sheltered investments, market forces augmenting the value of property, etc.?
I’m much more concerned, though, that the shadowy Mormon leadership is plotting how to take advantage of a possible Romney presidency not only in an intangible public-relations sense but also in a President Romney leaning on leaders of other nations (especially poor, backward ones) in blatant or subtle ways to make things easier for missionaries and establishment of church facilities in-country… or such leaders making moves on their own to ingratiate themselves with the administration.
Re: 6, even though Mitt has said that the church hierarchy will not dictate church policy, the Mormons are decentralized in many ways and members are expected to make their way in the world according to church precepts.
Teenage Mormon boys are “elders” and young men barely started in life, perhaps working full-time in construction or whatever, can be “bishops.”
So Mitt doesn’t need to consult with the Council of the Twelve Apostles or whatever in order to know exactly what his faith expects him to do in any given situation.
Gah. “…church hierarchy will not dictate GOVERNMENT policy…”
Makes me wonder if some of that cash went to pay for the Pro Mormon commercial and billboard blitz we’ve seen locally. I seem to recall that it is targeted several other areas… thought it looked like it was targeting moderate red voting groups, but could be wrong on that.
“$4 million to the church in the past five years” would not qualify as a “major” donor.
You evidently have no idea how much the mormons collect in tithes……
“the intrusion of the Mormon church into government matters”?
Remind us, dear, exactly how much the Mormon Church spent on Prop8?
Or are you asserting that Mormons as individuals have no right to participate in public debate?
What exactly are you saying, Doofus?
That’s a lot of canned food and Sterno.
@11: You’re claiming that the Church of LDS didn’t interfere in the Prop 8 fight? Allow me to edumacate you:
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are commonly known as Mormons, also publicly supported the proposition. The First Presidency of the church announced its support for Proposition 8 in a letter intended to be read in every congregation in California. In this letter, church members were encouraged to “do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating of your means and time.” Local church leaders set organizational and monetary goals for their membership—sometimes quite specific—to fulfill this call. The response of church members to their leadership’s appeals to donate money and volunteer time was very supportive, such that Latter-day Saints provided a significant source for financial donations in support of the proposition, both inside and outside the State of California. About 45% of out-of-state contributions to ProtectMarriage.com came from Utah, over three times more than any other state. ProtectMarriage, the official proponents of Proposition 8, estimate that about half the donations they received came from Mormon sources, and that “eighty to ninety percent” of the early volunteers going door-to-door were LDS. The The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints produced and broadcast to its congregations a program describing the support of the Proposition, and describing the timeline it proposes for what it describes as grassroots efforts to support the Proposition.”
OH NO HOW DID I GO TO WIKIPEDIA TODAY? D: