Supreme Court Allows Tax Credit for Religious Tuition

[alp227]

Source: The New York Times

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday let stand an Arizona program that aids religious schools, saying in a 5-to-4 decision that the plaintiffs had no standing to challenge it.

The program itself is novel and complicated, and allowing it to go forward may be of no particular moment. But by closing the courthouse door to some kinds of suits that claim violations of the First Amendment’s ban on government establishment of religion, the court’s ruling in the case may be quite consequential.

Justice Elena Kagan, in her first dissent, said the majority had laid waste to the doctrine of “taxpayer standing,” which allows suits from people who object to having tax money spent on religious matters. “The court’s opinion,” Justice Kagan wrote, “offers a road map — more truly, just a one-step instruction — to any government that wishes to insulate its financing of religious activity from legal challenge.”

(...)

The Arizona program gives taxpayers there a dollar-for-dollar state tax credit of up to $500 for donations to private “student tuition organizations.” The organizations are permitted to limit the scholarships they offer to schools of a given religion, and many of them do.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/us/05scotus.html

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TAX CHURCHES. And of course you know the divide that a 5-4 decision reflects.

[Taverner]

1. yup - Tax the church(es)

[Botany]

2. Separation of Church and State?

This an awful ruling.

[efhmc]

3. This court has no regard for the constitution.

[muntrv]

4. Taxpayer funded discrimination! NICE!

:sarcasm:

[jillan]

5. Can someone please explain to me why the gopers own the talking point on activist judges????

These assholes that are there now are just making things up as they go along without any regard for the constitution.

[Downwinder]

6. I wonder if “student tuition organizations.” are applicable to state

colleges?

[jmowreader]

7. I don't like the ruling either...

Contributions to charitable organizations (including the kinds of contributions that give Terry Jones a place to burn Korans) are tax-deductible only to the extent that the giver is not receiving a personal benefit from the contribution. A quick example is a fundraiser banquet for the Boys and Girls Club. The charity has to calculate the fair-market value of the meal, so the tickets will read something like "$100 per person, $70 of which is tax deductible."

Madrassa tuition in this country has never been tax deductible because it's assumed the "contribution" you give the school is 100 percent for the education of your kid. By allowing Arizona to make madrassa tuition tax-deductible, they've completely changed the dynamic of fundraising. If you can deduct monies you give that accrue benefits to the donor, why then could not a megachurch open a restaurant, serve expensive meals at a large profit, and declare your bill a "tax-deductible charitable contribution"?

[defendandprotect]

8. Understand that democracy is defeating organized patriarchal religion --

which makes it ever more urgent that the rightwing attack them to the teats of

government -- i.e., your tax dollars!!

Notice also that W Bush came along with funding for the Vatican's "faith based"

religious organizations just when they most desperately needed it to pay off their

pedophile-priest lawsuits!

Up to that time the RCC here was selling off church property -- churches/schools --

which was bringing Catholics out into the streets to complain!!

Poof!! problem solved!!

They have to save organized patriarchal religion which is the underpinning for patriarchy.

[efhmc]

9. Does this mean I can apply retroactively for the thousands

I spent to send my daughter to a private church school?

[BR_Parkway]

10. I hope a Muslim mosque sets up a school and applies for funding - that'll

do more to make the Christianists heads explode and have this law canceled quicker than anything the courts would do. All the hoopla and Faux news inspired outrage about them building a mosque at ground zero?

Taxpayer supported funding of Muslim religious instruction in schools? BAHAHAHAHA