Walz v. Tax Commission of the City of NY (1970)
Saturday March 1, 2008
It has long been accepted that religious organizations should be exempt from the taxes paid by everyone else, including property taxes. But are such exemptions valid? Don't they place an extra burden on other tax payers, thus essentially forcing them to subsidize religious groups other than their own? If so, isn't that a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment? With the majority opinion written by Chief Justice Burger, the Supreme Court upheld the tax exemption for churches by a vote of 8-1.
Read Article: Walz v. Tax Commission of the City of NY (1970)
Comments
Really? The most persuasive argument for most people is that religious institutions are beneficial to society? I’d say they offer no benefit that can not be found in other organizations with non-religious purposes.
Also, it’s insane that the first argument offered in support is “well, it’s always been that way”! Sheer, utter nonsense! Really, I’d expect more from a Supreme Court justice.
Still, though, it is probably true that taxing churches would lead to excessive government entanglement.