Religious organizations would qualify for new property tax exemptions under legislation being considered by the Arizona House of Representatives. The measure would allow churches to avoid taxes on property used for activities other than religious worship.  The bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Justin Olson, said the current religious-exemption law has resulted in many lawsuits because county [...]

A Virginia pastor who said that his actions “flow out of my faith in Jesus,” was sentenced Monday to 27 months in prison for abetting the international parental kidnapping of a girl in a high-profile case involving a same-sex union and the condemnation of homosexuality by conservative Christians. But in a victory for the pastor, [...]

QUESTION:  What does recognition of tax exemption mean? ANSWER:  Eligibility for tax-exempt status is different from recognition of that status.  When the IRS recognizes the exempt status of an organization, it makes a written determination that the entity constitutes a tax-exempt organization.  When exercising this function, the IRS reviews, analyzes, and interprets the law, and [...]

Four takeaways for churches in the midst of projected declines. A company specializing in computer-based reports and forecasts for charitable giving in the United States says giving to religion rose steadily in 2012 compared to 2011.  The religious sector, though, has seen its share of the overall charitable giving market shrink, and a dismal outlook [...]

Allegheny County in Pennsylvania puts nonprofits on notice: Facing rising public pressure in a region dominated by tax-exempt giants, Allegheny County soon will require all nonprofits with property to prove they deserve their tax breaks. At Tuesday’s county council meeting, Executive Rich Fitzgerald announced plans to send letters to all 9,000 non-government tax-exempt properties in [...]

QUESTION:  What does it mean to be ordained, commissioned, or licensed? ANSWER:  The meanings of ordained, commissioned, or licensed are generally synonymous and usually understood as formal recognition of minister status from a higher religious organizational level, but they are not defined in the Internal Revenue Code for purposes of federal tax law.  It has [...]

A female licensed marriage counselor in Texas was found guilty of sexual assault and sentenced to ten years’ probation for using her influence as a professional counselor to coerce a client husband into having sex with her.  A couple had come to her for counseling with hope of saving their marriage.  The counselor manipulated the [...]

Recently the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, in Griffen v. S&B Engineers and Constructors, Ltd. (here) affirmed a judgment for an employer who was sued by its employees for travel time that the employer did not include as working time. There are essentially four general rules about when travel time might constitute working, compensable time [...]

Congressman Dave Camp (R-MI), Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Committee will hold a hearing to examine the itemized deduction for charitable contributions as part of the Committee’s work on comprehensive tax reform. The hearing will take place on Thursday, February 14, 2013, in Room 1100 of the Longworth [...]