Becket Fund Helps Clergy Intervene In Parsonage Lawsuit
The latest in the case is a proposed intervention by clergymen and religious organizations represented by the Becket Fund For Religious Liberty. The argument is that they have more skin in the game than the IRS since an FFRF win would affect them. Quite grievously as they lay it out. The proposed intervenors are Bishop Edward Peecher and Chicago Embassy Church, Father Patrick Malone and Holy Cross Anglican Church and the Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. The Diocese has eight clergies who live in church-owned parsonages, who would be unaffected by this litigation, and thirteen who receive housing allowances.
Online Travel Companies Win Another Round In Fight Over Occupancy Taxes
The Tax Foundation toted up the score on these cases in a paper by Joseph Henchman early this year noting that over the past decade state and local governments in 34 states, the District of Colombia and Puerto Rico have filed lawsuits against the likes of Expedia, Hotels.com, Priceline and Travelocity. Overall the online companies have been winning prevailing in 39 cases in 23 states while losing in ten cases in six states and the District of Columbia. We should probably score this one as a win for the online companies.
The Tax Foundation seems to lean a bit to my theory that all this litigation is something of a white-collar jobs program.
Follow Me
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.