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Only Hindu Temples Are Bound To Pay Taxes? No, Viral Claim Is False!
Writer: Jakir Hassan
A journalist at heart loves the in-depth work of reporting, writing, editing, research, and data analysis. A digital and social media enthusiast.
India, 1 Oct 2021 11:20 AM GMT | Updated 1 Oct 2021 1:30 PM GMT
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As the founding editor, Bharat had been heading the newsroom during the formation years of the organization and worked towards editorial policies, conceptualizing and designing campaign strategies and collaborations. He believes that through the use of digital media, one could engage the millennial's in rational conversations about pertinent social issues, provoking them to think and bring a behavioral change accordingly.
Creatives : Jakir Hassan
A journalist at heart loves the in-depth work of reporting, writing, editing, research, and data analysis. A digital and social media enthusiast.
On Twitter, a trend was circulated claiming only Hindu temples are bound to pay taxes while other religious institutes are exempted. The viral message is false as no distinction is made in the GST Law on any provision based on religion.
A message which went viral in the past has resurfaced again, claiming that only Hindu temples are bound to pay taxes while other religious institutes are exempted from the same. The message is being widely circulated on Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag '#FreeTemples".
Elvish Yadav, an Indian YouTuber, wrote on Twitter, "In a country where everyone enjoys religious freedom, why only Hindu temples have to pay taxes? #FreeTemples".
His tweet has garnered over 7700 retweets with around 21K likes while writing this report.
Gaurav Taneja, another Indian YouTuber, supported Elvish Yadav and wrote on Twitter, "If they cannot do it with 282 (2014) and 303 (2019). I doubt if even 543 would be enough. #FreeTemples".
His tweet has garnered over 4800 retweets with around 13K likes while writing this report.
Hindu Army, a Facebook page, posted a compilation video of the social media users who amplified the message and expressed their gratitude for their participation.
Claim:
Only Hindu temples are bound to pay taxes, while other religious institutes are exempted from the same.
Fact Check:
The Logical Indian Fact Check team verified the claim and found it to be false.
The message was viral in the past when the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was introduced. In 2017, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) issued a press release to debunk such a claim. The release was titled, "Appeal to people not to start circulating wrong messages on social media as no distinction is made in the GST Law on any provision based on religion."
According to the Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) Act, any business/entity must register themselves mandatorily under Goods and Services Tax and not be exempt from service tax.
According to the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), "The provisions relating to the taxation of activities of charitable institutions and religious trusts have been borrowed and carried over from the erstwhile service tax provisions. All services provided by such entities are not exempt. In fact, there are many services that are provided by such entities, which would be within the ambit of GST".
In 2017, the Ministry of Finance also issued a clarification on Twitter debunking the viral message. They mentioned in their tweet that no distinction is made in the GST Law on any provision based on religion.
So, in conclusion, an old message that went viral in 2017 has been revived again that only Hindu temples are bound to pay taxes while other religious institutes are exempted from the same. The message is false as no distinction is made in the GST Law on any provision based on religion.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.
Also Read: Video Of Boys Conversating About Religious Conversion Is Viral With False Claims To Target Muslims
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