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Church tax exemptions up for discussion at AKBLG AGM
By Stephanie Stevens
The Association of Kootenay and Boundary Local Governments (AKBLG) 2020 annual general meeting will be hosted in the Village of Radium Hot Springs this April 24-26, and there are a couple of topics that should make for interesting discussion.
Village of Radium Councillor Mike Gray Jan. 22 informed fellow councillors about putting forward a resolution regarding changing the statutory tax exemption for places of worship to permissive.
A statutory exemption is automatic, while a permissive exemption is at the discretion of local government and must be applied for by a group or organization.
Gray said he felt that places of worship should fall under the same scrutiny as not-for-profits, thereby levelling the playing field, adding he was not against a church being tax exempt, only that it should go through the same process as any other organization.
During the discussion Coun. Tyler McCauley said he was “all for it,” but Coun. Dale Shudra was not.
Shudra said he had done a little research as to why in the United States churches were tax exempt and had listed the “social benefit theory, intangible benefit theory, potential economic value and the constitutional separation of church and state” as reasons for statutory exemption.
“The risk potential is huge… everywhere in the province this will spark debates and divisiveness,” he said. “My position is it should stay exempt.”
Mayor Clara Reinhardt, attending the meeting via video link, said she was going to support the motion for the resolution if for no other reason than to open up the discussion.
Gray added this would not just look at churches in Radium, but thousands of churches across the province, which adds up to significant dollars.
Also on the agenda for the April gathering are a couple of informal debates, one regarding carbon tax, pros and cons, and a second about the pros and cons of local governments promoting the use of EV vehicles in their areas.
Lead image: A look at Stations of the Cross, behind St. Joseph’s Church, one of two churches in the Village of Radium Hot Springs. Ian Cobb/e-KNOW file photos
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