Church Commits Tax Fraud… and the Christian Post Blames Atheists for Pointing It Out

[cleanhippie]

Remember a couple months ago when the Freedom From Religion Foundation put this billboard (and several others) up in Columbus, Ohio?



Matrix Media Services, working with Clear Channel, placed that particular billboard in a location that turned out to be on Christ Cathedral Church’s property.
If it was public property, then there should have been no reason to remove the billboard. But since the church owned the space (and rented it out to the billboard company), the billboard went to a new location.
But that raised another question: If the church owned the property, and they were leasing it out (and making money off of it), shouldn’t they have to pay property taxes?

FFRF looked into the issue… and they couldn’t find any evidence that the church had done that. So they asked Franklin County Auditor Clarence Mingo II to investigate the matter.

Mingo couldn’t find any record of it, either.

A few days later, FFRF Staff Attorney Patrick Elliott got a phone call from a member of Mingo’s staff. “He said that the billboard property will be taxed. It is approximately one-tenth of an acre that will be taxed at a yearly rate of $185,” said Elliott.

FFRF further inquired in an Aug. 1 letter to Mingo about the church-owned property at 407 Stelzer Road that is directly behind the billboard. It was purchased in 2006 for $550,000 and is receiving a tax exemption. Several private businesses are leasing most of the building.

Teach & Learn Child Care, AMC Realty and AMC Transport, all with listed addresses at 407 Stelzer Road, are headed by Anthony Malone. FFRF does not know how Pastor Malone and Anthony Malone are related.

On Sept. 22, FFRF received confirmation that the property will now be fully taxed in 2011.

In summary, the church now owes $1,900 in back taxes (including penalties for not paying it earlier). And they are expected to pay another $18,000 this year.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2011/10/02/church-commits-tax-fraud-and-the-christian-post-blames-atheists-for-pointing-it-out/

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Continue reading at the link to see the disgusting, dishonest, and racially charged response from this "church".

[Ian David]

1. Absolutely fucking PERFECT! n/t

[LiberalFighter]

2. They just don't like paying taxes.

[localroger]

3. I love the smell of schadenfreude in the morning /nt

[dmallind]

4. meh. The church still comes out ahead.

Basically they fleece an extra 18000, no doubt plus, out of the embittered congregation and poutraged pretend-believers in the community to pay for the movement of the ad elsewhere. No church truly pays for anything - only their "flock" (that's the right term for sheep, isn't it?) does.

[deacon_sephiroth]

12. couldn't have said it better

Sermons will include this information about the ATTACK on them by the atheists and how much financial trouble thier in, and how they NEED the faithful to stand up and be champions and fight for them, by opening thier wallets. They'll beat thier chest over how they were wronged by the godless all the way to the bank.

[patrice]

5. I hope Mingo has other employment lined up. They're going to come after him.

At will employment makes it easy to come after anyone for anything.

I imagine many people NEVER speak out for justice or peace, because they fear for their jobs.

[darkstar3]

6. There are days when I can almost believe in Karma: Hate cost them thousands of dollars.

[BR_Parkway]

7. Typical, every anti-gay preacher who gets busted with a rent boy blames

the gays.

Glad to see these assholes getting theirs as well

[struggle4progress]

8. The church should have known that any commercial uses would be taxed at commercial rates.

I couldn't locate the 'disgusting, dishonest, and racially charged response from this "church"' alleged in the OP

[cleanhippie]

9. It says it right there in the article about race baiting.

:shrug:


Not sure why you don see that.

[struggle4progress]

10. I see the comments from Joseph Perkins: you indicated there were comments from the church.

I didn't find any evidence Perkins was associated with Cathedral Church

[cleanhippie]

11. You are right, it was the author of the article from the Christian Post who did that.

Good catch. I cannot edit that now, so this correction will have to do.