Posted on 02/27/2010 10:12:15 PM PST by Steelfish
States Move To Revoke Charities' Tax Exemptions
Faced with steep declines in tax revenue, an increasing number of states and localities are considering eliminating various tax exemptions for nonprofit groups.
A bill before the Hawaii Legislature, for instance, would require charities to pay a 1 percent tax, and Kansas is considering making them subject to sales taxes. Revoking the nonprofit organizations' exemptions from property taxes is also under scrutiny in several counties in Kansas, as well as in Pennsylvania. And last fall, Minneapolis made charities subject to the fees it charges businesses and residents for streetlights in hope of gaining an additional $155,000, an exercise Jon Pratt, executive director of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, describes as "looking under the sofa cushions."
In most cases, churches would be exempt from the tax measures, but all other nonprofit groups, including private schools and colleges, would be affected. City and state officials say they have no choice. "We're having to look at the public services nonprofits use and how we can adequately cover those costs," said Matt Greller, executive director of the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns. "We can't give them away for free any longer." Nonprofit groups say the moves to wring revenue out of them are shortsighted and will produce cutbacks in critical services that governments rely on them to provide, like mental health and emergency foster care services.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
Also, kiss goodbye to all the write offs for charitable and church contributions. Tax is an infectious disease.
vaudine
Um, no. You got it backwards.
Screw that equal protection stuff. The Constitution only applies to people we favor.
“Um, no. You got it backwards.”
No I don’t... As long as their giving you a tax break, you need to do what they say. (or loose it)
The only good I can see out of it would be that it would make these groups demand more responsible government spending and therefore lower taxes.
Too often they are in support for a new tax to help the poor or some pet cause as long as they are exempted.
I give money to causes outside of my state and to some that inflict all of us. I always will. I will personally take the “hive” for any group willing to eradicate it.
You have given up your freedom. My money goes where I say. Yours does not, by that analogy. Why would you think somebody that works for the government is more intuitive than you are?
Well, it looks like they are going to lose it anyhow. Pfft.
Now the government can tax them out of existence. Which is what government does when it wants to get rid of something.
I was being facetious. But seriously, do you appreciate non-profits advocating for laws to reduce your personal freedoms?
Coloradans tried eliminating property tax exemptions for “non profits” and “charities” with an initiative some years ago. The property tax exemption for churches would only apply to the property actually used as a church — not “camps” and other property.
The initiative lost — but it may be tried again.
Many of the “non profits” and “charities” pay their managers and employees a helluva lot more than many small businesses can afford to pay their people.
Yes, those nonprofits and charities use all those services -- just like the residential and commercial property does. Why should they get a free ride on the backs of the other property owners?
Follows a very short list of tax-exempt organizations. Which has the best chance of losing it's tax exempt status? Now, which is most often on our side of the issues? Not that it matters because just as many so-called conservatives back churches giving up tax-exempt status as liberals.
UAW
SEIU
PETA
CODE PINK
ACORN
Churches
Liberals don’t have a damn clue about the liberal art of capitalism. They are not aware of the inherent progression and lack the ability to look ahead. They are “washed” and run mindless as far as governance is concerned.
I believe that the normal, assumed rationale is that they perform a community service.... well, that might be. And it might be that the "service" that they perform is in Ethiopia, or for hamas, or even for "planned parenthood", or acorn.
No. They are seditious organizations. Undermining elections (ACORN), currency (Soros), 2nd amendment rights (Brady, Tides, Soros), freedom of religion (ACLU), private property (Sierra Club, World Wildlife Fund) and more. You already listed some of your favorites. Many of these organizations not only enjoy a tax exempt status, they are also parasites on the taxpayer. ACLU gets paid every time they file a civil rights case by federal statute.
“Now the government can tax them out of existence. Which is what government does when it wants to get rid of something.”
Aside from property taxes, businesses are taxed on their profit. If they are a charity and don’t have any profits, there’s not going to be any profits anyway.
That is because our very wise founders knew from personal experience what happens when the state gets control of the church.
Tax is control.
That’s why church properties are exempt.
I am sure, pragmatically, that the good they do in terms of charity and keeping people from anti-social behavior far exceeds the tax income.
Often property taxes pay for fire departments, police/sheriff departments, and street maintenance, and ambulance services -- all used by the people in those "non-profits" .
Tax is an infectious disease.<<<<<<<
The power to tax is the power to destroy!!
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