PUBLIC MONEY: Why are taxpayers still funding religious associations?

Public money should be, as far as possible, spent on our welfare system, on improving our health centres across the Island and modernising the transport system, instead of on private religious organisations which in their own ways are very good at amassing cash from various sources.
2012 will be either a year of deepening economic hardships or of slow economic recovery across the world and the government will have to take very difficult measures so that our economy does not go into negative growth (recession). It will have to a) cut unnecessary public expenses, reduce outrageous waste of taxpayers’ money across government’s ministries, departments, institutions and public companies c) stop wasting millions of rupees of public money on inviting stars from abroad pou fer lepep amize, just to gain political popularity d) have the guts to tell religious organisations that time has come for them to start standing on their own feet, no more subsidies from striving taxpayers.         
It’s very inappropriate for hard-working taxpayers to subsidise any large-scale activity by well-off religious organisations, instead it should be spent on public services and, most essential, on bringing in new buses which will be suitable for senior citizens and disabled persons to hop on and hop off without any difficulty. It’s a shame that the basic principle of democracy, in general, which means that public money should only be spent in a properly accountable and transparent manner, is not happening in this country.
 Politicians of major parties should cease a) interfering into religious organisations’ activities b) using their platforms to criticise their opponents and praise their achievements c) lecturing any community on its religious belief and d) promising them financial supports, with taxpayers’ money.
Lieux de culte and religious edifices are mushrooming across the country, and even some property owners are turning part of the front of their court yards into sacred corners where passers-by can pray and at the same time drop a few coins into their well-secured boxes which are placed next to “God”.
 I firmly believe that it’s immoral for the government to use taxpayers’ money to subsidise religious groups and give them extra funds for their activities; instead that money should be used to improve our welfare services and eradicate extreme poverty so that under-nourished families can have at least a decent plate of food twice a day and I am sure our religious leaders, who are good believers of God’s wishes, will not hesitate for once to see that the stomachs of our very poor are filled with proper food.