Posted on 11/19/2014 11:01:47 AM PST by C19fan
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley made national news last year when he fought to pass and signed a tax bill that levied a tax on Marylanders, businesses and churches for the amount of “impervious surface” they have on their property.
Roofs, driveways, sidewalks, and parking lots qualify for the “rainwater remediation fee” to “protect the Chesapeake Bay.”
Though the O’Malley administration calls it a “fee,” it is commonly called the “rain tax” throughout the state. It is wildly unpopular and the promise to fight to repeal the tax was a large factor in Maryland electing Republican Larry Hogan governor this month.
Now Prince George’s Country is offering a way for churches to avoid paying the tax, which is estimated to be an average of $744 per year for them — preach “green” to their parishioners.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...
There is a federal offense on the books called “denial of civil rights under color of law.” Sounds applicable to me.
Maryland is exempt from the Bill of Rights. You didn’t know that?
So, Maryland wants to dictate the content of sermons.
Since environmentalism is nothing more than a political money-making issue, this is a violation of the DNC’s “wall of separation”. Where the heck are the aclu goons?
>> Now Prince George’s Country is offering a way for churches to avoid paying the tax
Here’s another idea for a church to avoid the tax: simply refuse to pay it.
Houston just tried doing this, too.
-PJ
A REAL church will not preach Satan’s AGW lies.
If they do, run, run quickly out of that apostate Socialist “church”!
You have to fundamentally not understand Christianity to ask a church to preach about something that they may not believe in.
ie: asking them to lie.
We are just beginning to see all that happens when a population abandons religion, en masse.
True. They have no respect for the Second Amendment, for the First's freedom of religion or of speech, or for numerous other God-given rights.
What happend to the seperation of church and state. Churches are normally exempt from property taxes.
This is villainy to the point of being downright evil, as well as opening the door to other state dictates on churches.
Legally, it is clearly in violation of the separation of church and state to its original meaning.
This goes beyond their state to the point that national denominations should file lawsuit against the state over doing this. It is an unconscionable and unconstitutional act and should not be able to survive even a passing federal review.
And why not? The Federal government, via the tax code, dictates that pastors can't support Republican candidates (although no one complains when they support Democrats).
Exactly, they’ve no right to tax them in the first place.
IMHO it is not a coincidence that it's a historically Catholic state and that it's unique view on rights reflects the same kind of predominant thinking of the RCC.
Yep. Pass arbitrary taxes on the Church and then coerce them to have a certain message to avoid having to pay.
...it is coming.
What do Rats care about freedom of speech? Ewen the lowest slave is free to agree with his master.
For many years, most churches in PG county have used sermons primarily to promote the demoncrat political ideology.
PG churches and schools == Community Organizers (ACORN lives)
LOL! Massachusetts is as bad or worse re rights, and it's historically a Congregational state. Is that a coincidence?
Harvard itself was founded to train young men for the Congregational ministry -- a conservative talk show host once remarked that it seemed like all our problems have their root in Harvard University.
Ping.
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