Church of Freethought gets Texas tax exemption.Texas officials have agreed to extend tax-exempt status to a non-theistic church. In mid May, the Texas Office of the Comptroller sent a letter to Americans United for Separation of Church and State Americans United for Separation of Church and State (Americans United or AU for short) is a religious freedom advocacy group in the United States which promotes the separation of church and state, a legal doctrine seen by the AU as being enshrined in the Establishment announcing it had granted tax-exempt status to the Church of Freethought, a Dallas-area congregation. Americans United intervened on behalf of the congregation after the state tax agency had initially denied its request for tax exemption tax exemption, immunity from the requirement of paying taxes. Federal, state, and usually local law provide exemption from taxation for a wide variety of organizations, usually not-for-profit, such as churches, colleges, universities, health care providers, various . In a press statement praising the Texas agency's reversal, Americans United Executive Director Barry W. Lynn Reverend Barry W. Lynn (born 1948 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) has been the Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State since 1992.[1] said, "This is a victory for religious freedom. Government must never play favorites when it comes to religion." The Church of Freethought enjoys federal tax-exempt status, but was unable to obtain similar status in Texas. The tax agency had insisted that the church "appears to be a discussion or social group rather than a religious organization." Texas officials have expressed hostility toward non-theistic religious groups. In a past dispute, Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn Carole Keeton Strayhorn (born September 13, 1939) is the former Texas state comptroller of public accounts, a position that now includes most of the duties of the former state treasurer, a position abolished by Texas voters in 1996. said giving tax exemptions to such groups would lead to applications from "any wannabe cult who dresses up and parades down Sixth Street on Halloween." But the Comptroller's office finally conceded con·cede v. con·ced·ed, con·ced·ing, con·cedes v.tr. 1. To acknowledge, often reluctantly, as being true, just, or proper; admit. See Synonyms at acknowledge. 2. that Americans United's legal stance was correct. In a 2003 Texas Court of Appeals decision in Strayhorn v. Ethical Society of Austin, the state court ruled that the comptroller violated vi·o·late tr.v. vi·o·lat·ed, vi·o·lat·ing, vi·o·lates 1. To break or disregard (a law or promise, for example). 2. To assault (a person) sexually. 3. the First Amendment rights of the Ethical Society of Austin when it rejected the group's application for tax-exempt status. |
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