Topic: Church Tax

The IRS announced a major policy shift allowing churches and houses of worship to endorse political candidates from the pulpit without losing their tax-exempt status. This effectively carves out an exemption to the 1954 Johnson Amendment, provided the communications occur through "usual channels" during religious services.

Ireland is set to hold a historic popular vote on whether to legalize same-sex marriage, a move that would challenge the traditional authority of the Catholic Church. The hosts suggest that if the referendum fails, Apple CEO Tim Cook should pull the company's operations out of Ireland to prove his commitment to equality. The segment also notes Apple's use of Ireland as a significant tax haven for its global profits.

A discussion regarding Finnish citizenship reveals that Finland has a national income tax rate between 6.5% and 29.7%, along with a unique "church tax." The hosts perform a "re-nighting" ceremony for a Finnish donor named Laurie, correcting a previous gender misidentification. Three new Knights of the No Agenda Round Table are crowned for their contributions of $1,000 or more.

A theory is presented regarding Mitt Romney's refusal to release his full tax returns, suggesting the records would reveal he failed to pay the full 10% tithe required by the Mormon Church. Such a revelation could potentially undermine the church's financial expectations of its less wealthy members.

John C. Dvorak recounts meeting Kirby Hensley, the illiterate founder of the Universal Life Church in Modesto, California. Hensley viewed organized religion as a tax scam and sought to democratize the ministry by selling ordainment certificates to anyone. This philosophy serves as the inspiration for the No Agenda show's own system of granting knighthoods and titles to donors.