In 2023, actor Danny Masterson, a high ranking Scientologist, was convicted of drugging and raping women. During his criminal trial, it was alleged that the Church of Scientology helped cover up his crimes by harassing and manipulating Masterson’s victims. Scientology has denied the accusations, but the church has a long history of well-documented antisocial and illegal acts against those it does not like.  Auris Project supports protestors' calls to revoke Church of Scientology's tax exempt status.

Why Revoke Scientology’s Tax Exempt Status?

Here are four reasons the U.S. Internal Revenue Service should revoke Scientology’s tax exempt status: 

Scientology Charges for Access to Church Doctrine. 

The Church of Scientology is a cultish, for-profit organization that charges its members for access to church doctrine, most of which comes from the mind of the wildly eccentric - his ex-wife said “hopelessly insane” - science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard. In fact, most Scientologists spend hundreds of thousands of dollars before they learn about Xenu, the extraterrestrial ruler of a Galactic Confederacy that is at the center of Scientology’s religion. Many members are harassed mercilessly for the money necessary to move up in the ranks of Scientology and access more church teachings. People who reject Scientology’s mission are often targeted as “suppressive.” 

 

Scientology is the Creator of Fair Game.

The Church of Scientology, through its covert Office of Special Affairs (OSA), has been involved in many documented crimes, including illegal stalking, harassment, wiretapping, assault, invasion of privacy, and abuse of the legal system. It has perfected a brutal policy it calls “Fair Game”, which states that victims can be “deprived of property or injured by any means by a Scientologist without any discipline of Scientologists. (They) may be tricked, sued…lied to, or destroyed.” (Wakefield.) Scientologists provide seminars that teach Fair Game tactics to corporations and businesses, who have responded with predatory policies against consumers and employees. Before Scientology used Fair Game tactics to shut down the Cult Awareness Network, CAN’s director described COS as: “quite likely the most ruthless, the most classically terroristic, the most litigious, and most lucrative cult the country has ever seen.” (Behar).

 

Scientology is Accused of Trafficking in Humans. 

Scientologists are required to sign a billion-year contract to join the organization and most of those who work for the organization reportedly earn about $47 a week. A growing number of former Scientologists say that they were separated from their parents while growing up in Scientology and that some have had to “escape” when they decided to leave the organization. One ex-Scientologist recounted escaping the sect by hiding in the trunk of a car. Those who leave are often considered suppressive people and tell heartbreaking tales of not being able to speak to or see family members who remain members of the sect.

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Scientology Illegally Infiltrated the Government in 1973.

Scientology is responsible for the largest illegal infiltration of the federal government in United States history. In an audacious, organized scheme they dubbed Operation Snow White, Scientologists began penetrating government departments to “clean” the agencies of documents critical of files critical of Scientology. The Fair Game techniques they used included burglary, wiretapping, door key duplication, blackmail, and falsification of records. Many collaborators took jobs in federal agencies for the sole purpose of illegally accessing sensitive government records. And while nearly 5,000 covert agents participated in the successful criminal operation, only 11 people were convicted. Despite the scope and damage inflicted, no one served more than six years. The sect's covert operations system and the 5000 other co-conspirators that supported the illegal operation were left alone. Today, the Scientology office responsible for Operation Snow White continues to operate under the name Office of Special Affairs. Scientology victims repeatedly reference it when discussing abusive attacks they have suffered at the hands of the sect.

 

The Aftermath of Operation Snow White.

In 1993, despite its criminal assault on the U.S. government, the Internal Revenue Service awarded the Church of Scientology and 150 affiliated organizations tax-exempt status. This shocked tax experts. The exemption has allowed the organization to amass enormous wealth, much of it invested in real estate. For instance, it owns most of the properties in downtown Clearwater, FL, and 72 percent of those properties reportedly do not pay taxes. OSA (formerly the Guardian’s Office) continues to operate in locations across the United States,and enjoys a level of impunity that has caused enormous pain and suffering to countless victims. This must not continue. Enough is enough.

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SIGN THE PETITION ON CHANGE.ORG TO REVOKE SCIENTOLOGY'S TAX EXEMPT  STATUS:

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Recommended Reading: 

* The Ten Worst Insurance Companies in America, American Association for Justice, undated. https://life-insurance-law.com/the-worst-insurance-companies-in-america/

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* “Allstate Acknowledges Scientology Training Program Was A Blunder”, Associated Press, March 22, 1995. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-23-fi-46309-story.html

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* Behar, Richard, Jane Furth and Tricia Welsh. “Stalked by Allstate: Being an agent for the insurer can be tough, even terrifying,” CNN, October 2, 1995. https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1995/10/02/206532/index.htm

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* McVea, Denise. Evil Corp: Allstate Insurance. Shadow Networks, and the Corruption of a Major American City, Advance Review Edition (San Antonio: Auris Press), 2023. https://www.amazon.com/Evil-Corp-Allstate-Insurance-Corruption/dp/1948955350

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* Evans, Jim. “Scientology Inc.” Sacramento News & Review, Aug. 23, 2001. https://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/content/scientology-inc/8220/

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* Urban, Hugh B. “Fair Game: Secrecy, Security, and the Church of Scientology in Cold War America,” Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Volume 74, Number 2, June 2006, pp. 356 389. Oxford University Press. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4094037

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* Behar, Richard. “The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power,” Time, May 6, 1991. https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,972865,00.html

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* Welkos, Robert W. and Joel Sappell. “Burglaries and Lies Paved a Path to Prison,” Los Angeles Times, June 24, 1990. https://www.latimes.com/local/la-scientologysidec062490-story.html

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* United States v. Mary Sue Hubbard et al., 493 F. Supp. 209 (D.D.C. 1979). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Hubbard#/media/File:1979_GrandJuryCover_US_v_Hubbard.jpg

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* List of Guardian’s Office operations, Wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Guardian%27s_Office_operations

 

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