The new tax? Fees on churches, schools ect.

[zzzz]

Local communities are scrambling to find new income and one way is to charge non-profits and other government entities a fee. I Houston passed a drainage fee that will charge all property owners including schools and churches to pay for infrastructure repairs to sewers.

Strapped Cities Hit Nonprofits With Fees - WSJ.com

The question is should everyone including churches and other government entities be required to pay these fees/taxes?

My problem is that when a government entity like a school coorporation has to pay these fees it is the taxpayer who will have his taxes raised to pay for it. A church historically has been tax exempt exept these are being called fees not taxes. Yet the Federal government has called them taxes when pressed to pay fees!

 

[Skull Pilot]

Schools and churches use public utilities and should pay for them. Hell I don't have kids and I pay for fucking schools don't I?

 

[shintao]

I think god would approve of paying fees so the church can use the lavatory.

 

[Care4all]

i don't think schools or gvt entities should be included but it seems just, that non profits should pay for their own repairs.

 

[uscitizen]

Local communities are scrambling to find new income and one way is to charge non-profits and other government entities a fee. I Houston passed a drainage fee that will charge all property owners including schools and churches to pay for infrastructure repairs to sewers.

Strapped Cities Hit Nonprofits With Fees - WSJ.com

The question is should everyone including churches and other government entities be required to pay these fees/taxes?

My problem is that when a government entity like a school coorporation has to pay these fees it is the taxpayer who will have his taxes raised to pay for it. A church historically has been tax exempt exept these are being called fees not taxes. Yet the Federal government has called them taxes when pressed to pay fees!

Chuches should pay all property taxes and fees that everyone else does.
It is wrong to shift the burden they create onto the backs of others.

 

[uscitizen]

Schools and churches use public utilities and should pay for them. Hell I don't have kids and I pay for fucking schools don't I?

Yep and you are also paying for public utilities/facilities that churches use.

 

[Granny]

Use of public utilities is one thing, taxing for the sake of taxing is another. Most utilities are use measured - use lots of utilities = higher bills, use less utilities = lower bills. Public schools operate on taxes - but I can't say the taxpayers are getting their money's worth. Churches are private religious organizations - to tax them "just because" would mean government interference in religion - making the private entity into a public entity.