Politics, religion tangled up in lawsuit

[cbayer]

http://www.freep.com/article/20121028/NEWS05/310280216/Politics-religion-tangled-up-in-lawsuit

October 28, 2012
By Niraj Warikoo
Detroit Free Press Staff Writer

As a conservative Christian who opposes gay marriage and abortion rights, Pastor Levon Yuille of Ypsilanti said he thinks he has a duty to tell parishioners that they should support politicians who share those views.

Voting for candidates like President Barack Obama, he said, "is to act contrary to God's Word."

But under a little-known Michigan law -- never enforced in recent memory -- pastors are forbidden from "influencing a voter at an election" by expressing their religious disapproval.

And so last week, a conservative legal group, the American Freedom Law Center, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Detroit against the Michigan attorney general and the Washtenaw County prosecutor, saying the law violates the constitutional rights of religious leaders.

more at link

[Angry Dragon]

1. are they also pushing to repeal special tax laws for religious leaders??

also time to get rid of tax exempt status of religions

[cbayer]

2. What special tax laws for religious leaders?

[Angry Dragon]

3. It has been a while since I did taxes but at the time they had special

rules that applied to them in regards to housing and other things
I doubt if they have changed since

[cbayer]

4. The churches have tax exemptions that apply to all similar non-profits.

The ministers themselves pay taxes on salaries and other taxable benefits and have no special privileges that I am aware of.

[Angry Dragon]

5. Well they do .......... I did tax returns for them

[cbayer]

6. The only thing I can think of is some pretty complicated rules concerning

housing allowances.

[Angry Dragon]

7. You just proved my point

[cbayer]

8. What point? Ministers often have complicated issues regarding housing

as many live in church owned buildings. It's not necessarily a benefit and, in fact, could be a drawback from a tax standpoint.

So I still don't know what tax benefits you want to take away from them.

[Angry Dragon]

9. Housing is not a benefit??

try taking the same benefit as a common taxpayer

[Downwinder]

10. I know some airline pilots who gained big tax

benefits by declaring themselves ministers, before they went to jail.

[cbayer]

12. Like what?

And why did they go to jail?

[Downwinder]

13. Writing off homes as churches, Motor homes for campaigning.

Went to prison for tax fraud.

What really caught them was when they tried to avoid FICA.

[cbayer]

14. OK, crooks. Glad they got nailed.

[cbayer]

11. It's not a non-taxable benefit according to the IRS rules as I read them.

It's a housing allowance that is taxable, I think. Other organizations have similar things, like if you have your office in your home.

Anyway, just wanting to take it away without even knowing what it is or how it works seems pretty weak.

Now the exempt status that some churches and religious organizations enjoy is another matter. Those, I agree, are really in need of closer scrutiny at this time.