Boston archdiocese loses a round in court case on taxation for closed parish property
October 02, 2009
A Massachusetts court has ruled against the Boston archdiocese in a case involving the tax-exempt status of unused parish property. Since 2004 the town of Scituate, a Boston suburb, has been insisting that the archdiocese must pay taxes on the property of St. Frances Cabrini parish, which was closed two years earlier. Although church properties are ordinarily exempt from taxation, the town argues that the exemption does not apply to properties that are not used for religious purposes. Because the archdiocese is making no use of the parish, the town argues that it should be taxed like any other valuable property.
The Boston archdiocese has claimed that any effort to force the Church to use the property-- or even to explain plans for its future use-- would constitute an unwarranted government interference in religious affairs. For that reason the archdiocese asked the court to dismiss the case. Judge Paul Troy of Massachusetts Superior Court rejected that argument, and Scituate's legal battle to recover taxes will continue.
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