Watchdog group asks IRS to probe Catholic bishops

[swag]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/watchdog-group-asks-irs-to-probe-catholic-bishops/2012/11/06/f8dcb7f0-285c-11e2-aaa5-ac786110c486_story.html

A public watchdog group is charging the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops with openly politicking on behalf of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and it wants the Internal Revenue Service to explore revoking the hierarchy’s tax-exempt status.

“In completely unqualified terms, the IRS should immediately tell the Conference of Catholic Bishops that the conduct of its members is beyond the pale,” said Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).

“If the Catholic bishops would like to continue receiving the tremendous tax benefits on which they rely, they should follow U.S. law and stay out of American politics,” Sloan added in a statement last Friday (Nov. 2) announcing the complaint.

Sloan argued that last-minute appeals by numerous bishops had crossed the line into electioneering. She named several prelates, including Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria, Ill., a fierce critic of President Barack Obama, who ordered his priests to read a letter at all Masses on Sunday that sharply criticized Democratic policies and warned that Catholics who voted for those policies would endanger their eternal salvation.

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[DURHAM D]

1. Yeah ! Go get those tax cheaters.

[Dont call me Shirley]

2. Go after the fundie churches also, we need to pay down the debt without losing

medicare, medicaid, food stamps, liheap...............

[libodem]

3. We can use the tax revenue

[zwyziec]

4. A Lesson From King Henry VIII

One of the key reasons that Henry broke from the catholic church was the amount of money the church was taking out of England and away from his kingdom. The RCC church owned over 50% of the lands in England. Donations to the RCC went to the Pope. When he realized how much he was losing, he kinda lost his temper!

If you own property and pay property taxes in your area, you are subsidizing these religions, who use the roads, sewers and all other services that require bond issues to pay for. They are not carrying their weight. It is unfair and should be rectified.

I am all for taxing their property and the property of all religious tax exempt organizations. This is a local county issue.

Last year I did a study and concluded that there is over $1.5 trillion in untaxed church property in the USA. I contacted and talked to state tax assessors in four states. One of them told me that it is difficult to get the exact amount of untaxed property because they don't report it. He told me that if they did report it, "it would make people angry".

This includes all parishes, grade schools, universities, hospitals, cemeteries, diocesan offices, bishops residences, retreat centers, youth camps, temples, store fronts, mega-churches, mosques and even the companies who supply goods to the churches, like communion wafers, are tax exempt.

Then tax the profits they earn on their businesses like their gift shops and publications.

I'm keen on starting a local movement to get a referendum on levying a property tax on these organizations, with the money generated paying for local public schools and services.

Anyone else game? Perhaps we could get a movement going.

[VPStoltz]

5. The IRS should look into anything "religious" figure who ever appeared in any ad...

on any show, said a single word in an op ed, in fact the Mormon church should be investigated for supporting Lord and Lady Douchebag.

[Tutonic]

6. Look at Billy Graham and Frankie boy next.

nt