City Plays Grinch When Ellen DeGeneres Helps Single Mother
One of my earliest blogging dreams was to be noticed by Ellen Degeneres, as I assiduously covered the tax controversy about same-sex marriage. The obsession grew over the years enough so that someone whose opinion I value told me that it was getting creepy. At any rate, I never got the impression that her people were following my blog. It does strike me though that it would be a good thing if her show and Shutterfly did some followup on the people that they helped to make sure there are not unintended consequences. I think Shutterfly’s tax department needs to take a look at their decision to send out 1099’s to the beneficiaries of their philanthropy.
Mostly, though I think the tax collectors of Xenia, Ohio should probably just back down on this and go fight crime someplace else. This situation is in no way comparable to that of Survivor, Richard Hatch, who was competing for the million-dollar prize he failed to report.
Clergy Housing Tax Break Seen As Unconstitutional
His analysis is that the parsonage exclusion violates the Establishment Clause and that the arguments that the Free Exercise Clause mitigates the concern do not stand up. Not every benefit to religious organizations violates the Establishment Clause. The treatment of churches as exempt 501(c)(3) organizations is part of a larger scheme to exempt organizations that can be viewed as serving the public good. Churches are exempt, but so is the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
On the other hand, churches are not required to file Form 990 or apply for exempt status and the IRS has to jump through enough hoops to initiate a church audit that it pretty much doesn’t bother. This relatively hands-off policy recognizes the free exercise clause.
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Over and over again courts have said that there is nothing sinister in so arranging one’s affairs as to keep taxes as low as possible. Everybody does so, rich or poor; and all do right, for nobody owes any public duty to pay more than the law demands: taxes are enforced exactions, not voluntary contributions. To demand more in the name of morals is mere cant.