Sunday, October 14, 2012
The Rat in a Hat Faces New Economic Realities in 2013
After decades of priest pedophile scandals, Papal attacks on gay rights and the continued marginalization of women, the Catholic Church in Italy will be forced to pay property taxes starting in 2013 after the EU pressured the country to pass a controversial law stripping the Church of its historic property tax exemption.
The Catholic Church in Italy is excluded from paying taxes on its land if at least a part of a Church property is used non-commercially – for instance, a chapel in a bed-and-breakfast.
Increased revenue in Italy could of 500 million to 2 billion euros annually across the country, municipal government associations said. The extra income from previously exempt properties in Rome alone – including hotels, restaurants and sports centers – could reach 25.5 million euros a year, according to La Repubblica newspaper.
Last December, after new austerity measures were adopted in the country, 130,000 Italians signed an online petition urging the government to strip the Church of its tax exemption.
Take that, Pope RatNAZI.
From the Left 
The Catholic Church should lose their property tax exemption in the U.S. too. We’re broke and I’m tired of paying for them. If you own property, you should pay property taxes. Period.
End the breaks for the Cult of Catholicism everywhere. The world is hurting economically and we can’t afford to throw money at the Vatican.
This is wonderful news to read on Sunday morning!
I can envision many former Catholic churches sold now. Imagine all the interesting Starbucks, condos, and clothing stores located in these structures.
This change is a longtime coming. Now, maybe the Vatican’s stranglehold on gay rights in Italy will also come to an end? I sure hope so.
vicodaniel1987@yahoo.com
“All religion, my friend, is simply evolved out of fraud, fear, greed, imagination, and poetry.” – Edgar Allan Poe. Case closed.
Where do you find this stuff? I’ve read the LA Times from front to back and didn’t see this. Thanks for keeping your readers informed, Christopher. I’m just over the moon to read this!
Now if only ALL religious organizations, even Scientologists!, can be forced pay their fair share for browbeating the rest of us.
How is it possible the Xenus were granted religious status? Seriously?
Great payback for the decades of priest-child rapists.
Hopefully, this will force Il Citta del Vaticano to sell off antiquities to pay claims against victims of these ghouls and now they get to pay property taxes too! Life is good.
HOORAY!!!! When can we expect it to happen here?????
The Catholic Church has paid out hundreds-of-millions of dollars to settle sex abuse claims against priests who raped little boys. I’m surprised they have money to pay property taxes too? Have they sold off art and gold in order to do both? I mean, with fewer and fewer well off Catholics donating to the church and the bulk of their growth in poorer third world nations, I don’t see any other way for them to come up with tax money.
How ironic? Italy taxed the Catholic Church before the US taxed the Catholic Church?
It’s about time!
End the Tax in the US as well