B001 Set Rates for Funding Church Budget
A flat rate on all dioceses of 15%, like a flat rate in secular personal income tax, does not take into consideration the vast disparity in resources of those paying the rate. In TEC, there is a great inequality in revenue available to dioceses through congregational assessments, endowments, and other sources. We create a more progressive system of assessment when we account for these disparities in assigning rates at different levels of assessment based on how much a diocese spends per congregation through their annual budget. Dioceses that spend more revenue on average per congregation than others that spend less would have a higher assessment percentage. This progressive system will actually produce a modest increase in triennial income from the current formula. This will allow the Church to continue all her current commitments and even slightly expand in her mission work.
Explanation
A flat rate on all dioceses of 15%, like a flat rate in secular personal income tax, does not take into consideration the vast disparity in resources of those paying the rate. In TEC, there is a great inequality in revenue available to dioceses through congregational assessments, endowments, and other sources. We create a more progressive system of assessment when we account for these disparities in assigning rates at different levels of assessment based on how much a diocese spends per congregation through their annual budget. Dioceses that spend more revenue on average per congregation than others that spend less would have a higher assessment percentage. This progressive system will actually produce a modest increase in triennial income from the current formula. This will allow the Church to continue all her current commitments and even slightly expand in her mission work.