A Discourse on Tax Exemptions and Lack of Accountability among Pentecostal Churches in Africa
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Date
2020
Authors
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Department of History and International Relations VERITAS University Abuja
Abstract
Social development in Africa is increasingly being anchored
by non-state actors in form of massive Pentecostal ministries.
The relationship between these movements and the state is
becoming strained given the fact that African Pentecostal
prosperity movements have come under high levels of
financial scrutiny. This may foretell grave repercussions for
their corporate social responsibility to their increasing mass
of followers who engage with the church establishment for
social welfare in Africa. This development, which is likely to
affect the power relations of African Pentecostal movements
and the civil state has been prompted by the increasing levels
of lack of accountability observable in the prosperity
movement of global and African Pentecostalism. The calls
for the revocation of the tax-exempt status of churches form
the vanguard of this phenomenon. Tax exemption for
churches and charitable organizations has a long history
that dates back to the ancient Egyptian, Persian and
Babylonian civilizations. Colonialism enabled its widespread
acceptability on a global basis. Presently, theological and
legal arguments have risen in the wake of financial scandals
regarding the viability of the tax-exempt status of the
Church. This is hotly debated over the background of social
development and the corporate social responsibility of
African Pentecostalism. The storm of criticism has led not
only to calls for church taxation, but closer government
monitoring is also being advocated. This phenomenon has
streamed from the west to shadow African movements with
Nigeria at the eye of the storm.
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Keywords
Pentecostalism, Tax Exemption