Hello Faith, Goodbye Taxes

Religious employers don't have to pay into the state unemployment compensation fund, and ministers don't have to pay income tax on their housing allowances, says an article in today's New York Times. Source. In many states, religious publications are also exempt from the sales tax. The result is that religion gets a tax subsidy of at least $500 million a year -- a tax burden that's shifted to the rest of us, thank you. Among the consequences: treatment counselors working for "faith-based" agencies may not be eligible for unemployment compensation if they're laid off. See also Hello Faith, Goodbye Rights, below.