Issue: taxing nonprofits Schenectady seeks other cities in lobbying of state lawmakers on tax issue By Lauren Stanforth Staff Writer Published: 12:00 a.m., Wednesday, January 19, 2011
SCHENECTADY -- The city plans on sending letters to other New York cities to gage interest in sponsoring state legislation allowing nonprofits to be taxed.
City Council President Gary McCarthy acknowledged Tuesday the uphill battle in even suggesting such an endeavor, but said it would be a good way to get discussion going about the financial burdens municipalities face as costs skyrocket and large nonprofits, like hospitals and colleges, pay no property taxes.
McCarthy noted at the council's committee meeting Tuesday night that Ellis Medicine did contribute $40,000 in October as the city faced a large budget deficit, but "Union College has been more or less dragged to the plate," to get the private institution to pay a fee in lieu of taxes, he said. The college announced last week it is giving $40,000 based on what Ellis already gave. The combined $80,000 will keep two city pools open.
"There are multi-million dollar enterprises in this city that are far bigger than some for-profit corporations," he said.
City Council members directed the law office to draft a letter to be sent to all cities and some large villages asking if there would be support to lobby state lawmakers to draft legislation that would require a property tax on nonprofits. Council members said any measure would likely mean nonprofits would only pay a portion of what residential and commercial property owners pay.
Mayor Brian U. Stratton said he supports the efforts, but has gotten staunch resistance before from the Conference of Mayors because of lobbying done by nonprofits.
Councilwoman Denise Brucker said she wants to see if churches can be accountable for a payment as some buildings are rented out with a benefit to the faith organization -- such as the Albany Catholic Diocese renting former schools to the city school district................>>>>..................>>>>.................Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Issue-taxing-nonprofits-964527.php#ixzz1BU22IS8N
MVP is not for profit, I didn't see them mentioned. Do they pay taxes?
I'm not sure it's such a good idea to start blasting Union College saying they had to be "dragged to the plate". Then this Brucker woman wants to squeeze churches for money?
You know there is no opposition party in the City, when the Democrats are BOLD enough to threaten non-profits like Union College AND Churches on the heels of the pension padding scandal. Talk about brazen. They are basically stealing taxpayer money, or at the least mismanaging it, then publically badmouthing not-for-profits because THEY WANT MORE!
Denise Brucker needs to resign today. Churches are tax exempt-Schools are tax exempt-put them together and she wants to tax them? Another new low {if possible}. She must be talking about St A's. Can't wait to hear from Father Urban and DVR on this. She is either totally ignorant of the law or completely stunad. Either way she must resign. Houses of worship and schools cannot afford to pay exploding City taxes that Ms. Brucker keeps raising.
A typical Schenectady DEM moron story. Instead of cutting overtime, eliminating brass, firing incompetents we get this blame others nonsense. This is a total waste of time. It reminds me of the protest about insufficient State aid under Gov Pataki. The same experts at blaming everyone else for decades of fiscal mismanagement and lob hiring. They can't be removed quickly enough.
You know, if City leaders did their jobs correctly... 1) Taxed the businesses getting a free ride downtown 2) Made the neighborhoods a safe place to live 3) Stopped pension padding 4) Stopped making backroom deals with the firefighters to increase their saleries 5) Started ridding themselves of the corrupt police officers 6) Made City workers live in the City and taking away their free cell phones and vehicles 7) Used taxpayer money wisely...etc....etc
Essentially, the current leaders have failed to make Schenectady a place where people can live safely and affordably. They also have a proven track record of WASTING TAXPAYER MONEY over and over again. Quite frankly, if I was a non-profit I wouldn't give the City a dime. Come on, Ellis gives $40,000 for POOLS! What a complete waste. The City is a blackhole - sucking eveyone and everything around it into an abyss and this lastest attempt is proof positive of their stupidity.
You know, if City leaders did their jobs correctly...ROTFLMAO!!
Essentially, the current leaders have failed to make Schenectady a place where people can live safely and affordably. They also have a proven track record of WASTING TAXPAYER MONEY over and over again. Quite frankly, if I was a non-profit I wouldn't give the City a dime. Come on, Ellis gives $40,000 for POOLS! What a complete waste. The City is a black hole - sucking everyone and everything around it into an abyss and this latest attempt is proof positive of their stupidity.
Great points-AND then to seriously propose taxing Catholic Churches that rent out space to Schools! This beyond mere stupidity. Never go beyond sloganism like the moronic "working together works". More taxes will solve everything! Allen is always in the dark. King never speaks. Della Salla should retire in Florida and get out of his yard. Brucker wants to tax schools and churches. Flush twice.
Denise Brucker is the brother-in-law of one of the most wonderful priests in this diocese. A holy man. And those words don't come from me very often. She certainly gets it about the churches and religious institutions.
How is that going to sit with the parishioners – knowing their tithing’s are going toward paying taxes? If this priest you speak of thinks this is a good idea, the Bishop better think about removing him.
She certainly gets it about the churches and religious institutions.
That's why she wants to tax Catholic Churches that rent out space to schools? This an outrage. She certainly doesn't understand taxation or the fiscal demands on our churches. She needs to repudiate these idiotic comments or resign today. Every religious institution in the City should be calling for her immediate resignation.
Denise Brucker is the brother-in-law of one of the most wonderful priests in this diocese. A holy man. And those words don't come from me very often. She certainly gets it about the churches and religious institutions.
Taxing churches is not the answer to the city's fiscal issues. Churches provide many thousands of dollars of social services and help stabilize the neighborhoods.
If the city sends us a tax bill -- then we (the churches) should send it a bill for all the free services that we provide the city residents.
George Amedore & Christian Klueg for NYS Senate 2016 Pete Vroman for State Assembly 2016[/size][/color]
"For this is what America is all about. It is the uncrossed desert and the unclimbed ridge. It is the star that is not reached and the harvest that is sleeping in the unplowed ground." Lyndon Baines Johnson
Taxing churches is not the answer to the city's fiscal issues. Churches provide many thousands of dollars of social services and help stabilize the neighborhoods.
And absolutely why we have separation of church and state in this country. This move by the Schenectady leaders is about as far from reality as it gets - it's absolutely deplorable.
Taxing churches is not the answer to the city's fiscal issues. Churches provide many thousands of dollars of social services and help stabilize the neighborhoods.
If the city sends us a tax bill -- then we (the churches) should send it a bill for all the free services that we provide the city residents.
And how is St. Adalberts stabilizing the Mt Pleasant neighborhood? That neighborhood went down the drain anyway. Is Mt Carmel stabilizing Mt Plesant? How is St. John the Evangelist stabilizing the Eastern Ave area -- have you noticed the how that area is going down the tubes. That St. Mary's- when it was open, how did it stabilize the neighbohrood? Care to explain how St. Lukes is stbilizing that neighborhood with all the drive by shootings? OK, there are non Catholic churches too. What are they doing to "stabilize the neighborhoods?"
I will agree with you that churches do provide services to people and the people generally need not be members. Food pantries is a good example. The Catholic schools save people in taxes (of course there is only one Catholic school in Schenectady now) because if people didn't send their children to the schools---or for that matter any private school--the school district would have to spend more money because it would have to educate those children, but then those children are often kids who don't need social services anyway. I'll guess that the two churches that lease to the school district are probably saving the taxpayers money too, because otherwise they might have to operate another building exclusively at taxpayer expense.
That all said, NFP's - churches or not -- provide services which then save the government money, but by the same token they attract the bad element within the groups of people who use the services. I think that happened when that organization, can't remember what it was called, held dances in Hamilton Hill over at the former Sacred Heart church.
So churches may be providing free meals, operating food pantries, might use their halls as shelters in the cold, etc, etc etc. St. Clare's hospital saved the taxpayers a fortune because they treated all those without insurance who also didn't have or were not eligible for medicaid and St. Clares doesn't get paid any more for a medicaid patient than Ellis would for the same service. If St Clares was still open and if it had to start paying property taxes, I would think it would be appropriate of them to change their policy and turn away those without insurance and without government assistance.
But I don't know if it was that woman who just resigned from Bethesda or was it some other NFP organization, a SMALL organization locaally, I know it was since this year that I heard it, that the director position was getting paid something like $90,000 a year. That seems high.
Typically NFP's are entities that provide services to the community and save the taxpayers money. But Union College however, no way should it be treated as an NFP. THey are incredibly wealthy. They don't really provide a service to the "less forutnate" HECK, the less fortunate couldn't get accepted as a student there because they couldnt afford the tuititon. But they surely can cover the tuition costs for kids who enter from prestigious high schools, who also have the grades.
Proctor's Theater - also - no way is that an NFP. It is a full blown for -profit business. It's not a theater for the poor. It is a for-profit thater with elaborate producttions for the rich to attend. Come on, what family of four could afford $200 to get their 4 tickets to a show like the Lion King (well, unless you want nose-bleed seats. And the theater goers, they park, go to the show and drive back home outside of the city.
But I have a much better idea. How about eliminating ALL tax exemptions for downtown businesses - those business have more than enough money to pay their full taxes
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
I'd love to hear Morris squeal when he's told to pay taxes.
It would probably just get deducted from the amount that he's given from the county... and he could probably write it off, somehow. Also, he would just use it as another reason to raise the amount that it costs for anything to happen on the Metroplex Mile. He'll just get the county to raise his paycheck from them the equivalent of the taxes he needs to pay.
Logged
Denise Brucker needs to resign today. Churches are tax exempt-Schools are tax exempt-put them together and she wants to tax them? Another new low {if possible}. She must be talking about St A's. Can't wait to hear from Father Urban and DVR on this. She is either totally ignorant of the law or completely stunad. Either way she must resign. Houses of worship and schools cannot afford to pay exploding City taxes that Ms. Brucker keeps raising.
