C Street House No Longer Tax Exempt!

[Bravo Zulu]

Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC)

Residents of the C Street Christian fellowship house will no longer benefit from a loophole that had allowed the house's owners to avoid paying property taxes.

Previously, the house -- despite being home to numerous lawmakers -- had been tax exempt, because it was classified as a church. That arrangement had allowed the building's owner, the secretive international Christian organization The Family, to charge significantly below market rents to its residents. In recent year, Senators John Ensign (R-NV), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Jim DeMint (R-SC), and Reps. Zach Wamp (R-TN), Bart Stupak (D-MI) and Mike Doyle (D-PA) have all reportedly called C Street home.

Natalie Wilson, a spokeswoman for the Office of Tax and Revenue for Washington D.C., told TPMmuckraker that her office inspected the house this summer. "It was determined that portions of it were being rented out for private residential purposes," she said. As a result, the tax exempt status was partially revoked. Sixty-six percent of the value of the property is now subject to taxation.

According to online records, the total taxable assessment is $1,834,500. The building's owner last month paid taxes of $1714.70 on the property.

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/11/c_street_house_no_longer_tax_exempt.php?ref=fpa

[rhett o rick]

1. rec #1. Bravo. nt

[donquijoterocket]

49. extend the ruling

I realize the residential function probably creates some particular circumstances under tax law, but it's too bad the ruling can't be extended to some of the mega churches like Dobson's Colorado Springs campus which is so large it has its own zip code.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. "Open House....D Street."

Guaranteed.

[Nikki Stone1]

3. Thank you Rachel Maddow

:)

[malaise]

11. +1

D

[Mira]

33. That was my first thought as well. N/T

[lsewpershad]

48. +1000000

[mrbarber]

54. Wow, I can't even imagine what there saying about her now in that house.

[mzmolly]

58. :)

:kick:

[Starry Messenger]

4. Heartily recommend!!

[redqueen]

5. Yes!

Wonderful news.

[tabbycat31]

6. thank you Jeff Sharlet

[KansDem]

7. Damn Commies!!! Always wanting someone else to pick up the tab!

Fraudulent tax exemption for pseudo-religious groups harboring neo-con Repubs is great; until you run out of other people's money!

Fuck you, Brownback: Now start working for a living!

[derby378]

8. It's a start...

...and hits them where it hurts the most.

:woohoo:

[bvar22]

9. NOW

...Go after those freaks for FRAUD and Tax Evasion!!!!

[pleah]

10. Oh, yeah!

K&R

[Odin2005]

12. YES!

[hileeopnyn8d]

13. K&R

[hobbit709]

14. "paid taxes of $1714.70 on the property."

:wtf: the total taxable assessment is $1,834,500

I paid $2500+ on my 3 bedroom hovel that is laughingly assessed at $125,000. I doubt I could get $90K for it.

[Mist]

15. That's what I was thinking--sofa change for that crowd. nt

[Moosepoop]

30. If my calculations are right, the $1714.70 was only two months of the tax.

Here's the link to DC's property tax rate computation page.

http://otr.cfo.dc.gov/otr/cwp/view,a,1330,q,594394.asp

The C Street house has been deemed to be partially used for residential purposes, which puts the tax rate at .85/$100 of assessed value.

Assessed value of $1,834,500 / 100 = $18,345.

$18,345 X .85 = $15,593.25

$15,593.25 is the yearly tax.

Only 66% of that is owed, the rest is exempt.

$15,593.25 X .66 = $10,291.55 actually owed.

$10,291.55 / 12 (months in a year) = $857.63

$857.63 X 2 = $1715.26

That's a 56 cent difference from what they just paid -- perhaps due to differences in rounding or something.

Maybe by the time the determination was actually made to tax the property (the inspection was done in the summer), they only had two months left in the year to pay the tax on.

Or maybe the C Street owner(s) will be paying it monthly?

Anyway, it looks to me like the tax is more like ten grand a year than under two. I like that better!!

[hobbit709]

32. So they're paying 4 times what I pay

On a property valued at 15 times what mine is.

[Moosepoop]

36. You might want to check with your tax assessor's office

to see how they're coming up with your tax rates. Sounds like you're paying about $2.00 for every $100.00 of assessed value. Is that the norm in your area for residential property? Have them show you what the rate is supposed to be and compare it to your tax bill.

If you are being charged incorrectly, have them fix it. I know of several people in my area who questioned their high tax bills, and the tax assessor's office found that the high rates were in error, and fixed them.

It could be well worth looking into.

[hobbit709]

37. About average here

I pay school, county, city, health district and community college taxes.

In 1990 when we bought the house, taxes were about $400/yr.

My taxes sextupled and my income dropped 60%. Thank the politicians at the state and federal level for their "No new taxes" BS but mandating things that have to be paid for and leave it to the local government to make up the shortfall.

My only real hope is to get my disability claim approved-then my property taxes will be cut in half.

[ooglymoogly]

45. I thought the same....Unless there was only one month left

in the last taxable year after the reassessment. Would like to see a rundown and clarification on that; Otherwise less than 1% is laughable and is just cosmetic to quell the anger of the rest of the DC taxpayers.

[Eyerish]

16. K&R...It's a start.

[highplainsdem]

17. K&R

[xchrom]

18. Now that's news that puts a little bright spot in my day. Nt

[MadMaddie]

19. Fantastic!

One down...

[donheld]

20. About time!

[Celtic Merlin]

21. Nice Catch, B.Z. We all tango yankee for it.

Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward should make such nice catches. Oh wait - they do! :0)

Celtic Merlin
Native, City of Pgh.
Carlinist

[Tx4obama]

22. Ridiculous...

100% of the property should be taxed.
It is NOT a church.
It is a place that a bunch of adulterous CULT members meet and sleep.

[ProfessorGAC]

26. My Sentiments Exactly

Why 60%? Should be taxed on the full appraised value.
GAC

[louis-t]

41. I think all they need is a smal chapel

Doesn't matter if they ever use it.

[Seedersandleechers]

61. I have an extra room in my house.

I could set up a church and maybe call it "church of body awareness". How nice, and lower my tax rate at the same time. :rofl:

[Hekate]

23. Now that is sweet. TY for the good news, and TY to Raachel Maddow!

:toast:

[ccharles000]

24. good

[krkaufman]

25. So is anyone being prosecuted for tax fraud? Or at least ...

... being required to pay back-taxes?

[SpiralHawk]

27. Freaking republicon hypocrites in Welfare Housing

Ptoooey on the Welfare Republicons

[rasputin1952]

28. The wheels of justice turn slowly...

but at least they turn. The wheel in this matter was greased by Rachel, and while I think that $1714.70 is a paltry sum for a building assessed at$1,834,500, (even at 60%), it must grieve the owners greatly that they have to pay any tax.

The real upside of this, is that there are generally a large # of red flags that will shoot up when anyone attached to this place files their taxes. While I have never had a serious problem w/the IRS, a few that I know personally have, and the IRS crossfiles all kinds of things trying to wring out tax cheats...it is surprising when I talk to some people who have tried to "get away" w/what they thought was a loophole...:evilgrin:

[Canuckistanian]

29. Not only are they religious extremists, they're cheap bastards

ALL of these people are millionaires. It's unconscionable that they have to twist tax laws to save a few bucks.

If a church tried this for lower income people, they would have been shut down within days.

[jillan]

35. +1

[ChairmanAgnostic]

31. I strongly disagree with this.

ALL church property should be taxed, regardless of the cult they follow.

This 66% bullshit is a glass 1/3 empty.

[era veteran]

34. What about back taxes?

I am vindictive here with extreme prejudice.

[ensho]

38. kick

nt

[earth mom]

39. Fantastic News!

:woohoo:

[ooglymoogly]

40. Thanx to Rachel Maddow

Is this the yearly sum; Less than 1% seems paltry on a 2 million dollar property. I don't know anyone who pays their taxes monthly, though that may be an option I have not explored. Hope to hear how this actually tallies.

[Mari333]

42. YAYAYAYAYAYA!

[ooglymoogly]

43. Kicked to the roof rafters. kr nt

[peacetalksforall]

44. We know where Stupak and Doyle are 'coming from', address and ideology.

Traitors. sleeping with the enemy

[progressoid]

46. Hit 'em up for back taxes too.

[grahamhgreen]

47. Go Rachel!

[leftynyc]

50. Thank You Rachel Maddow

I can't think of anyone who reported on this story with the tenacity she did.

[dorkulon]

62. Yup--it's likely this wouldn't have happened without her. nt

[lumberjack_jeff]

51. Not enough.

"The family" itself is a business, and needs to be INCOME taxed as such.

[AlbertCat]

52. "The family" itself is a business

So is every church.

Tax the churches and the businesses owned by the churches!

[katty]

56. exactly

[mstinamotorcity]

53. Well it looks like the

The best Little Whorehouse On C Street now has to pay motel fare.And we see the two so-called Democratic Reps. Now everyone knows they are really trolls. time to tell what they are doing so that we can call them out.

[Scurrilous]

55. K & R

:thumbsup:

[onehandle]

57. It's chump change to the occupants, but it's good news anyway. nt

[LiberalFighter]

59. They should be hit with back taxes to the time they were utilizing

it for other than nontaxable uses.

[democrank]

60. K & R

Good news

[Maru Kitteh]

63. HA!

[Quantess]

64. Great news!

I somehow missed this thread.

[johnaries]

65. YES! Too late to rec, but a definite KICK!

:kick: