It would be wrong for religious organisations to pay taxes- Clergyman

Kumasi, Oct. 31, GNA - Primate S.K. Adofo, Head of the Brotherhood Church said it would be wrong and unfair for religious organisations to be requested to pay taxes on their incomes.

He said this is because incomes of religious organisations are re-invested in the provision of social amenities for the benefit of the broader society.

Primate Adofo was speaking at a convention to mark the close of the one- week annual "tabora" festival of the brotherhood Church at Asuoyeboa, a suburb of Kumasi on Saturday. The ceremony was held annually by the Church to offer intensive prayers for the nation and for member to fast and self-examining of members too.

The festival which was under the theme: "towards peaceful elections and national prosperity", was attended by about one thousand members from all the branches of the church in the country, including delegates from the United Kingdom, Togo and Belgium.

He advised Church leaders against misappropriation of church funds and to use the money for the development of the Church.. Primate Adofo said even though prayers were crucial, it was wrong for Churches to compel members to spend the whole day or very long hours in prayer sessions, since it negatively affects productivity. He said the churches should organise their prayer sessions in such a way that there could be ample time for members to pray and at the same time attend to their work.

Primate Adofo expressed optimism that the 2004 Elections would be peaceful and devoid of any problems, but appealed to political parties to be mindful of their utterances before, during and after the elections.