[Vision2020] Doing Kai's work for him

[J Ford]

Mr. Ted;

You state, correctly in my opinion, that profit organizations that pay taxes 
is a way for them to help support the community that they are supported by.  
Non-profits such as churches, etc. usually also give back to the community 
by way of charity benefits/donations, openings, gallary shows, and in the 
case of churches - especially in this community - they give back to the 
community by way of assistance to the poor and/or needy in ways that far 
out-weigh what taxes some pay...such as food/clothing banks, energy 
assistance, gas assistance, day care, education, and so on.

Christ Church, on the other hand, does not take part in any of those 
activities.  Oh, sure they "volunteer" their building two/three times a year 
for the blood bank, but so do other places such as the MSD, other churches, 
and so on.  Christ Church has refused to take part in the food bank simply 
because the food bank accepts federal monies and foods.  But neither do they 
have one of their own open to the public.  Rather, they help the people in 
their church THEY feel are in need.  I am not down-playing that, I'm just 
stating a fact.  It is not, however, without a lecture and demand of 
attending or at least reading books on how to better manage your family's 
finances so you don't get into a position of being needy again.  No, I am 
not saying that is totally a bad thing either; what I am saying is that 
there are circumstances that can not be helped and being called a "slacker" 
by people you turn to for help - does not help.

Restricting the expansion of a church owned business that first sneaks into 
down town and THEN applies for permits needs to be examined and is a good 
thing and the responsible thing to do.  It was my impression that the church 
should be able to hold itself up to the light and be clean.  CC can not do 
that when they continue to impose themselves into areas they are not allowed 
and may not be welcomed (such as residential areas that are not zoned for 
ANY kind of business much less a school or college.)

I could care less if they were this church or that one - if it is doing 
something behind the scenes and then crying "foul" when caught - they 
deserve to be held up for public comment and discipline.  THAT is what is 
going on with CC, despite what some people would have the community believe.







>From: tbertruss at aol.com
>To: curley at turbonet.com, editor at lataheagle.com, vision2020 at moscow.com
>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Doing Kai's work for him
>Date: Tue, 24 May 2005 00:47:39 -0400
>
>
>Mike et. al.
>
>Thanks for your clarification about property taxation in Moscow.  Perhaps 
>the tax exempt status of NSA is a separate legal issue from the CBD zoning 
>code.  But nonetheless I know of property tax paying citizens in Moscow who 
>view the expansion of tax exempt entities in the downtown core, which does 
>feature some rather expensive property (for Moscow), as a cause for 
>concern.  The expansion of such entities means other property tax paying 
>citizens in effect pay for certain publicly funded services that the tax 
>exempt entities are not paying for.
>
>I think the logic of this involves the idea that a tax exempt entity is 
>doing some "good" for the community that somehow offsets the fact they are 
>not paying property tax.  You listed museums, art galleries and public 
>offices.  There may be disagreement on the "good" some of these entities do 
>that justifies their tax exemption, but the assumption is made they are 
>doing a "good" which offsets the fact they are not paying property tax.
>
>The tax exempt status of religious entities has traditionally been viewed, 
>I think, with this kind of logic in mind.  Religion is not a profit 
>oriented business, but an institution that provides for an important human 
>need, thus the tax exemption.  Of course the tax exempt status of many 
>churches in the USA is very controversial with the political activism 
>inherent in their conduct, political activity which is not supposed to be 
>happening with the granting of their tax exemption as a religious entity.
>
>If you have studied this issue, you know that in some cities in the USA 
>there have been restrictions placed upon how much property can be placed 
>into tax exempt status due to association with a religion.  I think in part 
>this is just simple economics.  The cities cannot afford to place a large 
>bulk of valuable property into a property tax exempt status.
>
>Moscow may not have had to face such a problem, but we do not know the 
>future.
>
>Thanks for your input.
>
>Ted Moffett
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Michael Curley <curley at turbonet.com>
>To: editor at lataheagle.com; vision2020 at moscow.com; Tbertruss at aol.com
>Sent: Mon, 23 May 2005 14:20:32 -0700
>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Doing Kai's work for him
>
>
>Ted and Kai:
>
>As a  PS to my prior post to Kai, I would add:
>
>I don't think the issues have anything to do with tax status.  In
>fact NSA is income tax exempt, but the building has been ruled to be
>taxable for Latah County property tax purposes.
>Many uses are permitted downtown (and elsewhere in town) that are tax-
>exempt.  The alternative high school is tax exempt.  Museums, art
>galleries, and public offices--all allowed downtown--might be tax
>exempt (from both income and property taxes).
>It doesn't matter where a tax exempt entity locates as far as taxes
>are concerned (except perhaps in the Research Technology Office
>zone).  If a public library occupies a $1 million building, it
>doesn't matter if it's downtown or somewhere else in the city that it
>is legally permitted.  The city "loses" (actually, just does not
>collect) the same amount of property tax either way.  The city does
>not receive any sales tax from any entity, nor of course, any income
>tax.
>
>Again, I do not know what was in the heart of each Council member at
>the time the downtown zoning code was passed, but it makes sense to
>me that the distinction between commercial schools and other schools
>related to the "commercial" and personal service/retail nature of
>commercial schools rather than any tax exempt issue.
>
>Mike Curley
>
>
>
>On 23 May 2005 at 16:50, Tbertruss at aol.com wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > Kai-
> >
> > You didn't "fall off the turnip truck yesterday?"
> >
> > Kai wrote:
> >
> >  ". The
> > ONLY differences between the other schools and NSA are:
> > 1. Mr. Leons and the massage school are "doing business" as schools.
> > NSA is recognized as a school. 2. Mr. Leons and the massage school are
> > "for profit" enterprises. NSA is not. 3. NSA is a religious school,
> > the others aren't."
> >
> > Kai, really now, you must think we fell off the turnip truck
> > yesterday!
> >
> > The CBD is about doing "business" which usually means making money and
> > paying property taxes that help pay for the infrastructure that
> > supports such business. NSA is still tax exempt. Why is it so hard for
> > you to understand that the zoning code is written to encourage the use
> > of CBD properties for "business." You know, that bizarre
> > cultural/economic activity that we in the USA worship, where customers
> > enter a business on a daily basis with cash or credit and spend it?
> >
> > What if the Rajneeshes or a similar religiously oriented group bought
> > a large chunk of downtown Moscow for use as a nonprofit school to
> > promote communal bisexual extended families?
> >
> > http://www.filmakers.com/indivs/Rajneeshpuram.htm
> >
> > I think you'd find a different common sense approach to this
> > development. Ideological Indeed!
> >
> > Ted Moffett
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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