MASSACHUSETTS
Republican
Sunday, August 14, 2005
By BILL ZAJAC
wzajac@repub.com
Local assessors may join counterparts from the eastern part of the state in levying taxes on unused Catholic Church-owned properties, saying they no longer qualify for tax-exempt status because they aren't being used for worship or religious instruction.
The move represents just one of two financial challenges the church faces. The Legislature on Wednesday began considering a bill that would remove existing religious exemptions in the state laws governing charities and require all churches to file annual financial reports and a list of real estate holdings as about 300,000 other charities are required to do.
John M. Bowen of Longmeadow, who heads the East Longmeadow affiliate of the Voice of the Faithful, testified before the Judiciary Committee Wednesday that the Catholic Church needs state oversight because it continues to operate in secrecy despite its claims of transparency.