Do churches pay any taxes at all?

They pay payroll taxes for anyone other than pastors. Pastors are considered self employed by the IRS, so they have to pay all the payroll taxes as well as the usual taxes.

If they sell things they are supposed to collect the appropriate sales taxes, in some states.

Depends on what taxes you are referring too. Some yes while most of them not.

Around here I think they have to pay property taxes, which is why the Catholic Church closed down a bunch of churches and sold them.

The church itself has to qualify to be tax exempt. It is not easy to get that qualification. Lots of people get the idea they can just become a church, and pay no taxes. They are ill-informed idiots.

@incendiary_dan Really? I never heard of such a thing. A Catholic church paying property tax. I guess it varies by state? State law? I always thought churches were tax exempt. Now I am curious.

Churches pay property taxes on leased property if specified in the lease.

They better pay taxes. As far as I’m concerned they are just small businesses in the religious department.

@AstroChuck I never even thought of that situation.