(Photo: Word of God Fellowship jet parked at Fort Worth Meacham airport.)
In February, an IRS news release announced the government agency would launch dozens of audits of “business aircraft involving personal use.”
United States tax laws treat personal flights on business-owned aircraft as a fringe benefit and require American citizens to pay a tax on these personal flights.
Each year the IRS publishes two updates disclosing the Standard Industry Fare Level (SIFL) tax on personal flights.
(Screenshot: IRS April 15, 2024, Bulletin)
The IRS could audit America’s televangelists that make personal flights on ministry jets.
Since October 2022, the Word of God Fellowship jet has flown to Colorado Springs 28 times and to Destin, Florida, 21 times.
Word of God Fellowship is the parent organization of Daystar Television Network, the world’s second largest religious TV network.
Daystar’s leaders Joni Lamb and Doug Weiss married in 2023, following the death of Joni’s previous husband Marcus Lamb.
The couple travel to a Colorado mountain home and Florida beach condo they own. Weiss also operates a marriage counseling center in Colorado Springs.
(Screenshot: ADSB Exchange shows the Daystar jet flew from Fort Worth to Colorado Springs and back to Fort Worth on September 22, 2024.)
After they began dating, Joni started traveling regularly to Colorado Springs on the ministry jet to see Doug.
The Daystar jet operates like a taxi service dropping off Joni and Doug, and then returning the same day to Fort Worth. A few days later the jet will fly back to pick them up. This practice doubles the number of flights and dramatically increases the cost of providing private travel.
In September, the televangelist couple flew to Reno, Nevada, for a vacation at Lake Tahoe.
(Screenshot: On September 4, 2024, the Daystar jet flew to Reno, Nevada for a Lake Tahoe vacation. The jet would return to Fort Worth on September 8th.)
Trinity Foundation estimates the total travel cost for Daystar flights to Colorado Springs, Destin and Reno recently passed $1 million.
If the couple used commercial aircraft rather than the ministry jet for personal flights, they could have easily saved more than $900,000 on travel expenses.
Trinity Foundation’s estimates are based on Liberty Jet’s calculations: The average cost per mile for a Gulfstream G-V traveling 200 hours is $19.58.
In 2020, Inside Edition investigative reporter Lisa Guerrero confronted Daystar President Marcus Lamb for taking personal flights on the ministry jet. Marcus would often schedule speaking engagements near his vacation destinations.
Lisa: Then why did you take two vacations with that church jet, including to Florida last week where you played golf? Your wife posted on social media that she was on vacation.
Marcus: We did have vacation, but we also did several meetings with ministers while we were there.
After Marcus’ death, Joni became president of the religious TV network and may be using a similar strategy to treat flights as business expenses.
Joni and Doug could be paying the SIFL tax on flights to Colorado and Florida. However, their ministry does not disclose this information on a Form 990 which would also reveal annual total travel expenses.
For comparison’s sake, Liberty University and Samaritan’s Purse describe their personal flight policies in a Form 990 which is filed with the IRS.
(Screenshot: Schedule J, Liberty University 2023 Form 990 for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2023)
Daystar could follow this example and become more transparent to their donors.
Calculations of Travel Expenses
Colorado Springs Flights on Ministry Aircraft
28 round-trip flights = 1014 miles x 28 x 19.58 = $555,915
Destin Flights on Ministry Aircraft
21 round-trip flights = 1150 x 21 x 19.58 = $472,857
Colorado Springs flights + Destin flights = total
$555,915 + $472,857 = $1,028,772
Estimate for Commercial Flights to Colorado Springs
[ticket price x 2 people (Joni and Doug) x number of round-trip flights = total]
$400 x 2 x 28 = $22,400
Estimate for Commercial Flights to Destin
[ticket price x 2 people (Joni and Doug) x number of round-trip flights = total]
$600 x 2 x 21 = $25,200
Estimate for Total Cost of Tickets for Flights to Colorado Springs and Destin
$22,400 + $25,200 = $47,600