Often one of the biggest commercial ventures in any economy, churches often escape taxes because they have been given a certain reverence as being ‘the abode of God’.

So people go there all the time to give away their money, get nothing in return, and the unscrupulous pastors profit off their congregations; all of this tax-free.

This is going to change, at least in Zimbabwe. Reports indicate the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority is working on a law to enable them tax churches as well.

The commissioner of the Authority, Gershem Pasi, made this known when he appeared before a legislative committee, according to Zimbabwe’s Herald.

“We are now focusing on them (churches) and we have engaged them, we are setting parameters,” he said.

“We don’t care how they make their money and come November we will be through with our legislative proposals to the minister (Patrick Chinamasa Finance and Economic Development) which will tighten that area because we have seen loopholes there. They are not immune to taxation.”

That’s all. Every commercial venture in the nation pays taxes, but somehow we’ve all decided churches are exempt. When you look at the empires some pastors build off the back of their congregants you would see how much we are losing by not taxing them.

If we cannot stop them from exploiting people, at least we can make some money for the national coffers. Now who’s going to be the MP bold enough to propose this in Ghana?

Sadly, no one.