Wiccans Fight Tax Exemption For Bibles

[The Straight Story]

Wiccans Fight Tax Exemption For Bibles

POSTED: 10:20 am EDT June 12, 2006

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A Wiccan group is asking Florida's Supreme Court to declare that a sales tax exemption for religious items and publications including Bibles is unconstitutional.

A lawyer representing the Wiccan Religious Cooperative of Florida said the exemption amounts to state-sponsored religion.

But attorneys for the state and two tax-exempt religious newspapers, The Florida Catholic and The Florida Baptist Witness, urged the justices to throw out the Wiccans' challenge on procedural grounds without ruling on the constitutional issue.

They argue that the Wiccans lack legal standing to challenge the exemption because they are not harmed by it.

http://www.local6.com/family/9355237/detail.html

[Posteritatis]

1. ...don't most/all religions get tax exemptions of some sort? (n/t)

[bmcatt]

2. Unfair taxation as legal standing?

I'm not a lawyer, but I could see using unfair taxation as the claim. Effectively, Wicca, as an organized religion, is being persecuted by *not* being given tax-exempt status for sale, etc., of any Wiccan paraphenalia. {I say this with, admittedly, no understanding of what texts, etc., might be part of Wicca, but even if there's none, that doesn't change the basis, I'd believe.}

[RoseMead]

4. for religious items and publications including Bibles

Wicca doesn't have one central text like the Bible, but if the tax exemption includes religious items, Wicca does have those. Like most religions. Also, what other publications (presumably Christian) besides Bibles does this include? There are lots of books relating to Wiccan practices, and probably some magazines. If Christian books and magazines are tax exempt, books and mags for other religions, including Wicca should be tax-exempt, too.

[papau]

3. Under US Constitution you can not tax religion as the power to tax is the

power to destroy.

But a court might find selling Bible is a business, and not central to the practice of the religion - but I doubt that it would.

[RoseMead]

6. Selling of anything religious

is a business, and should be taxed as such. But you're right, it probably won't be.

Alas! This must just be one more example of the war on Christians, poor marginalized folks that they are...:eyes:

[RoseMead]

7. Should have said "some Christians"

I know not all Christians feel that way. Not fair of me to paint all of them with the same brush. Sorry.

[WePurrsevere]

5. If Wiccans/Pagans have to pay tax for there religious books or tools then

and Judeo-Christians don't, I can see a definate constitutional issue and possibly a reason to claim "harm" but I'm not a lawyer.

It might help clarify things up a bit if a Florida Pagan DUer could say whether they have to pay tax on such things as athame's, wands, crystals, etc or books such as Drawing Down the Moon, etc. Quite frankly I never thought about whether we've paid tax on religious tools or not here in NY.... I think I'll need to pay better attention in the future.

[deaniac21]

8. What's the difference between New Age and Pagan?

About $500.00 a weekend.


:evilgrin:

[Nye Bevan]

9. Perhaps for the sake of fairness

their broomsticks and cauldrons could be exempted from tax.