Cornwall Council is granting tax-breaks to people because of their religious beliefs – and Catholics are getting more than anyone else.
The news is unlikely to please Cornwall's 2,169 Jedi Knights, who form the county's largest single non-Christian "religious" group.
Cornwall's 2,169 Jedi Knight's got no council tax rebate - but maybe they didn't ask if the force was with them
The council is simply implementing national government rules but it does have some discretion over who qualifies.
The British Humanist Association said the rules were unfair and should be changed.
All of the discounts granted last year were to people who follow some form of the Christian faith.
Details of various ways you can get a tax discount are posted on the council's website.
Councils can grant exemptions from council tax in a range of different circumstances.
One of these relates to dwellings "held for the purpose of being available for occupation by a minister of any religious denomination as a residence from which to perform the duties of their office".
According to an answer to a Freedom of Information Act request, there are nine such properties in Cornwall. It is not known if Cornwall Council rejected any applications, but the council has not had to contest any appeals.
Tempest in a teapot. There are 21 exemptions from council tax listed on the council website. Only two of them have any religious basis, as they apply to housing occupied by or awaiting occupation by clergy, when that residence is used to conduct church business. It has nothing to do with one's "religious beliefs", it is a function of how a particular religion has chosen to structure the housing and office needs of their clergy. It would appear to be seen not strictly as a residential dwelling, but as part of the charitable property used by a church to carry out its charitable purposes, and thus treated analogously to any other charitable property held by any charity.
Most other charitable organizations do not require their chief executive to use their home as the charity's headquarters, as a rectory or a manse often is. And those who do maintain a home office would be eligible for income tax deductions that would easily outstrip the council tax.
Re: Catholic discount
Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2016 4:49 am
by RayThom
It's well known that catholics assume a larger burden of guilt than all other christian religions. It's only fair they get the biggest break. Petitioning God with such flourish does not come cheap.
Re: Catholic discount
Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2016 10:46 am
by kmccune
Ray ,you are shameless .
Re: Catholic discount
Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 12:39 pm
by oldr_n_wsr
When I was back there in seminary school, There was a person there.
Who put forth the proposition, That you can petition the Lord with prayer.
You cannot petition the lord with prayer!
Re: Catholic discount
Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 2:29 pm
by Scooter
Which is why churches call them prayers of petition, I guess.
Re: Catholic discount
Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 2:54 pm
by Big RR
Prayers of petition aside, I think what Mr. Morrison is suggesting is that an omnipotent and omniscient god gives us everything we need and that it is impossible to make god change his mind by a petition of any sort because it would presume that god was not giving us what we needed and we are trying to get got to change his/her/its mind. At least that's the epiphany I came to in college when listening to this (too) song many times.
Re: Catholic discount
Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 3:16 pm
by oldr_n_wsr
When you're in college and stoned, there is no such thing as "too many times" in regard to The Soft Parade.
Re: Catholic discount
Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2016 2:39 am
by Gob
Scooter wrote:here are 21 exemptions from council tax listed on the council website. Only two of them have any religious basis, as they apply to housing occupied by or awaiting occupation by clergy, when that residence is used to conduct church business. .
Why should they get any discount?
Re: Catholic discount
Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2016 5:24 am
by Scooter
I explained it in the part of my post which you chose not to quote.
Re: Catholic discount
Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2016 3:38 pm
by Burning Petard
The discount is a recognition of the valuable service clergy provide to the community.
Sort of similar reasoning that brings McDonalds to provide me with coffee at a discount because of my age, when I have more disposable income than most of the younger customers.
snailgate.
Re: Catholic discount
Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2016 3:55 pm
by MajGenl.Meade
Not really. The tax position is dictated by the fact that the church is a registered charity. Just like all other registered charities, there are tax reduction strategies for buildings used as official premises. Scooter explained all this.
Gob understands Scooter's message full well but his "why?" highlights his view that religious organizations should not be counted as tax exempt charities.
Re: Catholic discount
Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2016 10:59 pm
by Gob
MajGenl.Meade wrote:
Gob understands Scooter's message full well but his "why?" highlights his view that religious organizations should not be counted as tax exempt charities.
Nailed It. The left footers especially are definitely "for profit."
Re: Catholic discount
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2016 1:35 pm
by Big RR
I missed this--left footers?
Re: Catholic discount
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2016 1:40 pm
by Lord Jim
A derogatory term for Roman Catholics.
Re: Catholic discount
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2016 2:04 pm
by Big RR
that piqued my interest as to where it came from, Jim.
Why unbelievable in the first place and, if believable, why is that sad? That was an interesting link, especially as it ended with the almost ironical observation that "wrong foot" became "left foot" even though the Proddies used their left foot and the Romish the right foot. Fascinating, I'd call it.
Re: Catholic discount
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2016 3:30 pm
by Bicycle Bill
Catholics genuflect with the left foot forward.
Betty Griffith, Atlanta USA (from Big RR's link)
As a life-long mackerel-snapper myself, I would be more inclined to support this bit of reasoning long before I'd accept any of that malarkey about the right and wrong foot when digging with shovels. -"BB"-
Re: Catholic discount
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2016 3:37 pm
by Big RR
to characterize and label people by what foot they use to dig with their spade (and/or how the spade is made) is silly at best and says little about them at all (and especially about their religion), and sad because people feel the need to use labels like these, even when, as you pointed out, the left foot isn't asscoated with the RCs.
BB--at least that has something to do with their faith practices, although I've never observed the feet of people genuflecting so I can't say if it's valid or not. I imagine that protestants that do genuflect 9and I recall doing it at times in the Lutheran church) put the other foot forward?
As for genuflecting, I recall learning the same saying as a Lutheran as my catholic friends did for making the cross properly: Spectacles, genitals, watch, wallet--no mention of foot position at all.
Re: Catholic discount
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2016 3:48 pm
by MajGenl.Meade
And who ever heard of an Irishman (regardless of religion) using a spade for anything other than leaning on, while observing a hole in a British road along with three or four chums?
