Here's my very simplistic (an probably naive) take on the matter. If you are a church, stay a church; the second you step foot into politics you pay taxes. if you are a charity stay a charity, again step into the political arena, kiss your 501c3 status bye-bye. As one comment stated, "Churches are not charitable organizations. They often have charitable subsidiaries. The first should be taxed without exception, the subsidiaries should have to respect the laws on charitable organizations. If they evangelize in these charitable subsidiaries, they are the church and they should denied charity status."
Ernie Chambers is arguably the highest-ranking openly-atheist politician in the country right now. The African-American Nebraska State Senator served for 38 years (beginning in 1970), making him the longest-serving senator in the state’s history, until he was term-limited out in 2008. When he was eligible to run again in 2012, he did so and won easily.
And now he has introduced a bill, LB675, that would eliminate a state property-tax exemption for religious organizations — essentially taxing churches.
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The purpose of LB 675 is to help the State gain more revenue, rather than less, by taking away churches’ property tax exemptions.
The Governor and candidates for governor have said that “everything should be on the table.” If taxes were paid on the many churches and cathedrals and temples in every city in this State, perhaps the State’s assistance to local governments and schools would be diminished considerably — leaving more in State coffers for other purposes.
Nebraska’s Atheist State Senator Introduces Bill That Would Force Churches to Pay Property Taxes
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