user7253: Is dana (or has it ever been) considered taxable in some countries?

user254: Do you mind an unreferenced answer?
I think the answer is "generally, no"; but that you're asking after any examples, however rare, where the answer has been yes.
Also I guess that gifts of wealth are usually made to an institution e.g. a monastery (as opposed to less-easily-taxable gifts of food and other requisites, given to a monk).

Historically where a country had Muslim conquerors (e.g. India, Afghanistan) there was sometimes a poll tax (a head-tax) on non-Muslims.
There were a few short periods, a thousand years ago or so, where Chinese emperors were troubled by the tax-exempt (and war-exempt) status of Buddhists, and tried to regulate or tax or suppress it
In the Soviet Union under Stalin (e.g. in 1928), they decided that Buddhism (even though atheist) was anti-revolutionary, and taxed monasteries
In Thailand a few years ago there was a proposal to tax monasteries (however I think that was not implemented)
In 1985-1987 Kyoto tried to add a tax to the price of admission tickets which the Buddhist temples sold to tourists


7253: <p>Is dana (or has it ever been) considered taxable in some countries?</p>
 254: <p>Do you mind an unreferenced answer?</p>

<p>I think the answer is "<strong>generally, no</strong>"; but that you're asking after any examples, however rare, where the answer has been yes.</p>

<p>Also I guess that gifts of wealth are usually made to an institution e.g. a monastery (as opposed to less-easily-taxable gifts of food and other requisites, given to a monk).</p>

<ul>
<li>Historically where a country had Muslim conquerors (e.g. India, Afghanistan) there was sometimes a poll tax (a head-tax) on non-Muslims.</li>
<li>There were a few short periods, a thousand years ago or so, where Chinese emperors were troubled by the tax-exempt (and war-exempt) status of Buddhists, and tried to regulate or tax or suppress it</li>
<li>In the Soviet Union under Stalin (e.g. in 1928), they decided that Buddhism (even though atheist) was anti-revolutionary, and taxed monasteries</li>
<li>In Thailand a few years ago there was a proposal to tax monasteries (however I think that was not implemented)</li>
<li>In 1985-1987 Kyoto tried to add a tax to the price of admission tickets which the Buddhist temples sold to tourists</li>
</ul>
