Time is short, so no long explanation, but one item in this morning's news is worth mentioning: A Love Hotel - the pay-by-hour establishments catering to couples looking for some private time together - has found a nifty way to avoid those pesky taxes: be owned by a religion.
That's right: religious organizations are tax exempt here (it's unclear why, to me). So if they own and run a love hotel under the guise of a temple, there's no need to pay taxes or even account for your earnings. The "Universal Truth Association" is a temple so you are of course not paying for your stay - perish the thought - but "giving alms" (at a fixed hourly rate) is compulsory when you enter.
Is this really legal? Apparently not. It does bring up the question of why an organization should be exempt from taxes and even some laws just because the members all share the same imaginary belief.
That. is. awesome. I'm going to get ordained by the church of eternal life, then join the yakuza and open a tax-free love hotel.
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