http://www.alliancealert.org news from the frontlines of the culture war Thu, 24 May 2012 23:12:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/24/a-group-is-questioning-the-center-for-arizona-policy-tax-exempt-status-read-more-httppolitics-kfyi-comcc-commonmainheadlines3-htmlfeed118695article10152308ixzz1vptmh6ep/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/24/a-group-is-questioning-the-center-for-arizona-policy-tax-exempt-status-read-more-httppolitics-kfyi-comcc-commonmainheadlines3-htmlfeed118695article10152308ixzz1vptmh6ep/#comments Thu, 24 May 2012 22:39:17 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=134672 KFYI: An Arizona atheist organization wants the IRS to investigate the tax exempt status of the Center for Arizona Policy. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/24/a-group-is-questioning-the-center-for-arizona-policy-tax-exempt-status-read-more-httppolitics-kfyi-comcc-commonmainheadlines3-htmlfeed118695article10152308ixzz1vptmh6ep/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/24/new-hampshire-high-court-upholds-partial-tax-exemption-for-church-property/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/24/new-hampshire-high-court-upholds-partial-tax-exemption-for-church-property/#comments Thu, 24 May 2012 15:43:49 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=134552 Religion Clause Blog: In Appeal of Liberty Assembly of God, (NH Sup. Ct., May 22, 2012), the New Hampshire Supreme Court held that under state statutory law, space in a house of worship must be used and occupied directly for religious training or for other religious purposes in order to be tax exempt. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/24/new-hampshire-high-court-upholds-partial-tax-exemption-for-church-property/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/tax-exempt-status-for-churches-debated/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/tax-exempt-status-for-churches-debated/#comments Tue, 22 May 2012 20:07:04 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=134368 NonProfit Quarterly: With little fanfare, the [I]New York Times[/I] hosted an online debate among five thoughtful people (actually six, but two wrote as a team) addressing the question, “Should churches get tax breaks?” That is, in part, should institutions of religious worship continue to be eligible for charitable tax-exempt status? In summary, here are the perspectives of the participants . . . ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/tax-exempt-status-for-churches-debated/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/irs-should-investigate-kentucky-church-for-opposing-obama-re-election-says-americans-united/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/irs-should-investigate-kentucky-church-for-opposing-obama-re-election-says-americans-united/#comments Tue, 22 May 2012 16:43:20 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=134311 AU: Kentucky church violated federal law when its pastor demanded the ouster of President Barack Obama during church services, Americans United for Separation of Church and State told the Internal Revenue Service today. During a May 13 service, Pastor Ronnie Spriggs of Hager Hill Freewill Baptist Church in Hager Hill, Ky., demanded that Obama be voted out of office for supporting marriage equality for same-sex couples. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/irs-should-investigate-kentucky-church-for-opposing-obama-re-election-says-americans-united/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/21/tax-court-25k-deduction-denied-due-to-inadequate-church-receipt/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/21/tax-court-25k-deduction-denied-due-to-inadequate-church-receipt/#comments Mon, 21 May 2012 18:18:12 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=134214 Religion Clause Blog: In Durden v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, (T.C., May 17, 2012), the U.S. Tax Court denied a $25,171 tax deduction for contributions to the Nevertheless Community Church made in 2007 by David and Veronda Durden. While the taxpayers produced records of their contributions, including canceled checks, the IRS denied the deduction . . . ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/21/tax-court-25k-deduction-denied-due-to-inadequate-church-receipt/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/18/sen-hatch-tax-code-at-fault-for-facebook-founder-renouncing-citizenship/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/18/sen-hatch-tax-code-at-fault-for-facebook-founder-renouncing-citizenship/#comments Fri, 18 May 2012 16:28:53 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=134073 The Hill: Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, on Thursday warned that wealthy expatriates seeking to renounce their American citizenship is a sign that the tax code needs to be fixed. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/18/sen-hatch-tax-code-at-fault-for-facebook-founder-renouncing-citizenship/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/16/pa-ruling-denying-tax-exemption-for-religious-camps-prompts-legislative-action/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/16/pa-ruling-denying-tax-exemption-for-religious-camps-prompts-legislative-action/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 17:10:45 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=133817 How Appealing links to several reports and the state Supreme Court ruling that prompted the action. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/16/pa-ruling-denying-tax-exemption-for-religious-camps-prompts-legislative-action/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/14/should-churches-get-tax-breaks/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/14/should-churches-get-tax-breaks/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 16:49:04 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=133523 Acton Institute Power Blog: "The New York Times’ “Room for Debate” feature highlights religious freedom this week by asking the question: “Should Churches Get Tax Breaks?” The contributors, who span the continuum of opinions on the issue, include Susan Jacoby, Christopher L. Eisgruber and Lawrence Sager, Winnie Varghese, Dan Barker, and Mark Rienzi." Thankfully a commenter, Roger McKinney, makes two of the most critical points: Now socialists want us to believe that if the state doesn’t take your money, it is subsidizing your behavior . . . The original argument for tax free status of churches was that they church is a sovereign in its sphere and one sovereign does not tax another . . . ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/14/should-churches-get-tax-breaks/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/14/court-says-farmers-must-pay-bankruptcy-tax/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/14/court-says-farmers-must-pay-bankruptcy-tax/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 16:16:10 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=133506 AP: The high court on Monday voted 5-4 for the IRS in its fight with Lynwood and Brenda Hall over their bankruptcy sale of their 320-acre farm in Willcox, Ariz. | Hall v. United States ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/14/court-says-farmers-must-pay-bankruptcy-tax/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/09/hatch-calls-on-irs-to-probe-whether-staffer-leaked-anti-gay-marriage-groups-files/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/09/hatch-calls-on-irs-to-probe-whether-staffer-leaked-anti-gay-marriage-groups-files/#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 19:08:03 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=133313 Fox News: Both the gay advocacy group the Human Rights Campaign and the Huffington Post posted the documents -- the National Organization for Marriage has claimed it appears someone in the IRS fed the documents to the Human Rights Campaign. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/09/hatch-calls-on-irs-to-probe-whether-staffer-leaked-anti-gay-marriage-groups-files/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/08/canada-polygamous-family-denied-special-tax-status/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/08/canada-polygamous-family-denied-special-tax-status/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 21:57:58 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=133231 Examiner.com: Winston Blackmore is no stranger to money disputes. The final decision in his latest dispute lies in the hands of a federal tax judge. Blackmore, the head of a polygamous group in Bountiful, B.C. claims to be eligible for the same tax exemption granted to the Hutterites. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/08/canada-polygamous-family-denied-special-tax-status/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/08/analysis-public-pension-fixes-face-stout-legal-challenges/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/08/analysis-public-pension-fixes-face-stout-legal-challenges/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 21:54:49 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=133229 Reuters: San Jose is part of a broader legal and political struggle shaping up across the United States as cash-strapped state and local governments, Republican- and Democratic-led, try to rein in rising pension costs that are gobbling up big chunks of their budgets. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/08/analysis-public-pension-fixes-face-stout-legal-challenges/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/08/abortion-becomes-a-tax-issue-in-kansas-house-bill/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/08/abortion-becomes-a-tax-issue-in-kansas-house-bill/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 17:50:10 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=133175 Miami Herald: The tax code is becoming the new weapon in the war against abortion with Kansas pioneering the way. The Kansas House passed a bill Monday that would further restrict abortion by rewriting state tax law. "Nobody on the state level has gone through their tax code in this manner," said Elizabeth Nash, a state issues manager for the Guttmacher Institute, which tracks reproductive health issue. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/08/abortion-becomes-a-tax-issue-in-kansas-house-bill/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/08/americans-pay-more-in-taxes-than-for-food-clothing-and-shelter/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/08/americans-pay-more-in-taxes-than-for-food-clothing-and-shelter/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 15:04:54 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=133134 NCPA Policy Digest: In 2012, Americans will pay approximately $4.041 trillion in taxes, which is $152 billion, or 3.9 percent, more than they will spend on housing, food and clothing. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/08/americans-pay-more-in-taxes-than-for-food-clothing-and-shelter/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/03/lessons-from-byzantium/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/03/lessons-from-byzantium/#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 21:24:34 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132839 National Review: The Byzantine Empire’s long run — 1,100 years — may seem remote from the 21st century, but a reading of its history offers at least three timeless lessons. Understanding some of the fatal weaknesses in the Eastern Roman Empire may help clarify the political and economic problems that America faces today and the choices we have in responding to them. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/03/lessons-from-byzantium/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/01/states-without-income-taxes-rely-on-varying-forms-of-revenue/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/01/states-without-income-taxes-rely-on-varying-forms-of-revenue/#comments Tue, 01 May 2012 16:12:49 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132562 NCPA Policy Digest: According to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data, state-level individual income taxes make up the largest share of total state government tax collections. In 2011, state governments brought in $259 billion through these taxes, approximately 34 percent of total collections. However, there are currently nine states that do not tax wage income . . . ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/01/states-without-income-taxes-rely-on-varying-forms-of-revenue/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/27/legal-war-for-irs-if-churches-are-attacked-for-speaking-out-on-issues/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/27/legal-war-for-irs-if-churches-are-attacked-for-speaking-out-on-issues/#comments Fri, 27 Apr 2012 22:23:58 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132408 Christian Newswire: Thomas More Society Promises a Free and Aggressive Legal Defense to Any Religious Leaders Targeted or Victimized for the Robust Exercise of Their Free Speech Rights ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/27/legal-war-for-irs-if-churches-are-attacked-for-speaking-out-on-issues/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/27/attorney-town-targeted-church-because-of-religion/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/27/attorney-town-targeted-church-because-of-religion/#comments Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:47:34 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132332 One News Now: The church in Maine has been denied a tax exemption for its parking lot under the theory that a parking lot does not serve as a religious purpose," Oster reports. "We, of course, think that is absurd. A church is a religious organization, and people who go to church, they park in their parking lot. That shows a very valid purpose for the operation and function of a church." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/27/attorney-town-targeted-church-because-of-religion/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/27/audio-did-you-know-it-is-legal-to-tax-church-property-in-maine/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/27/audio-did-you-know-it-is-legal-to-tax-church-property-in-maine/#comments Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:27:56 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132309 Christian Civic League Faith Matters in Maine Update (Audio 1:03 mins): In one Faith Matters in Maine minute, Carroll Conley tells how one church is fighting taxtion by the town of Rockland with the help of the Alliance Defense Fund and the Christian Civic League. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/27/audio-did-you-know-it-is-legal-to-tax-church-property-in-maine/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/church-sues-maine-city-over-tax-exemptions/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/church-sues-maine-city-over-tax-exemptions/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:46:46 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132207 WCSH6.com: Lawyers with the Alliance Defense Fund say they filed a complaint in Knox County Superior Court this week on behalf of the Aldersgate United Methodist Church. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/church-sues-maine-city-over-tax-exemptions/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/pennsylvania-supreme-court-legislature-cannot-negate-the-states-constitutional-definition-of-purely-public-charity-as-interpreted-by-this-court/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/pennsylvania-supreme-court-legislature-cannot-negate-the-states-constitutional-definition-of-purely-public-charity-as-interpreted-by-this-court/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:25:39 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132197 ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/pennsylvania-supreme-court-legislature-cannot-negate-the-states-constitutional-definition-of-purely-public-charity-as-interpreted-by-this-court/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/family-groups-aim-to-save-child-tax-credit/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/family-groups-aim-to-save-child-tax-credit/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:27:14 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132182 The HIll: Family groups from the left and right have started lobbying on a child tax credit that is set to shrink at the end of the year, fearing the provision will get lost in the shuffle during the lame-duck session after the election.">The HIll: Family groups from the left and right have started lobbying on a child tax credit that is set to shrink at the end of the year, fearing the provision will get lost in the shuffle during the lame-duck session after the election. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/family-groups-aim-to-save-child-tax-credit/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/suit-challenges-property-tax-treatment-of-churches-vs-non-profits/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/suit-challenges-property-tax-treatment-of-churches-vs-non-profits/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:13:58 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132174 Religion Clause Blog: At issue, according to a release from Alliance Defense Fund, is a decision by the city of Rockland to grant a local church a tax exemption only for its building and not for the parsonage it owns or for its parking lot. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/suit-challenges-property-tax-treatment-of-churches-vs-non-profits/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/25/adf-maine-town-no-parking-lot-taxes-for-charities%e2%80%a6-except-for-churches/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/25/adf-maine-town-no-parking-lot-taxes-for-charities%e2%80%a6-except-for-churches/#comments Wed, 25 Apr 2012 23:00:42 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132070 ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/25/adf-maine-town-no-parking-lot-taxes-for-charities%e2%80%a6-except-for-churches/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/25/maine-church-claims-discrimination-against-rockland-in-lawsuit/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/25/maine-church-claims-discrimination-against-rockland-in-lawsuit/#comments Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:21:31 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132068 Bangor Daily News: The lawsuit on behalf of Aldersgate United Methodist Church was filed Monday in Knox County Superior Court. The church is being represented by attorney Stephen Whiting of Portland as well as Joel Oster from the Alliance Defense Fund of Leawood, Kan. The Alliance Defense Fund states on its website that it is a legal alliance to defend religious freedom. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/25/maine-church-claims-discrimination-against-rockland-in-lawsuit/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/24/californias-population-growth-is-slowing-dramatically-study-finds/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/24/californias-population-growth-is-slowing-dramatically-study-finds/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 23:02:32 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132015 LA Times: California’s population will grow much more slowly in the next few decades -- and that is good news for the state’s still-struggling economy, according to new population projections by USC. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/24/californias-population-growth-is-slowing-dramatically-study-finds/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/24/irs-has-no-grounds-for-yanking-tax-exempt-status-of-illinois-diocese-over-bishop%e2%80%99s-remarks-on-obama-religious-rights-attorneys-say/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/24/irs-has-no-grounds-for-yanking-tax-exempt-status-of-illinois-diocese-over-bishop%e2%80%99s-remarks-on-obama-religious-rights-attorneys-say/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:37:21 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=131994 CNSNews: "Bishop Jenky isn't ‘intervening’ in a political campaign any more than Dad is when he talks politics over the dinner table,” Eric Rassbach, deputy general counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, told CNSNews.com. “Bishop Jenky has an absolute right to teach and preach to his flock, as the Supreme Court recently affirmed unanimously in the Hosanna-Tabor case,” he continued. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/24/irs-has-no-grounds-for-yanking-tax-exempt-status-of-illinois-diocese-over-bishop%e2%80%99s-remarks-on-obama-religious-rights-attorneys-say/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/24/whats-u-s-citizenship-worth-america-is-no-longer-as-attractive-as-we-like-to-think/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/24/whats-u-s-citizenship-worth-america-is-no-longer-as-attractive-as-we-like-to-think/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:41:34 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=131924 Wall Street Journal: Our tax code—and especially the onerous reporting requirements that come with it—is turning U.S. citizens into economic lepers. Many foreign banks refuse us as customers; some investment ventures no longer want us as partners; and some business opportunities that would have benefited Americans now benefit others. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/24/whats-u-s-citizenship-worth-america-is-no-longer-as-attractive-as-we-like-to-think/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/24/competing-currencies-should-be-legalized-real-inflation-rate-is-higher-than-feds-report/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/24/competing-currencies-should-be-legalized-real-inflation-rate-is-higher-than-feds-report/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:12:42 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=131891 Daily Campus: In fact, notes Williams, if the annual inflation rate were calculated using the same method with which it was calculated in 1980, it would currently be over 10 percent. Furthermore, I fear inflation may worsen dramatically in the next few years. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/24/competing-currencies-should-be-legalized-real-inflation-rate-is-higher-than-feds-report/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/23/oregon-christian-school-%e2%80%98persecuted%e2%80%99-by-town/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/23/oregon-christian-school-%e2%80%98persecuted%e2%80%99-by-town/#comments Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:22:55 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=131820 Education News: In a move that is being described as “retaliatory” against a Christian school that was overcharged water and sewer fees for decades, an Oregon town has redefined “apartment” to include a dorm room so that it annually can collect tens of thousands of dollars in fees. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/23/oregon-christian-school-%e2%80%98persecuted%e2%80%99-by-town/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/20/iowa-senate-kills-bill-eliminating-taxpayer-funded-abortions-on-25-25-vote/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/20/iowa-senate-kills-bill-eliminating-taxpayer-funded-abortions-on-25-25-vote/#comments Fri, 20 Apr 2012 22:19:42 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=131740 Des Moines Register: Senate Democrats this afternoon narrowly rejected a Republican proposal that would prohibit poor Iowans from having a taxpayer-paid abortion in cases of rape or incest. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/20/iowa-senate-kills-bill-eliminating-taxpayer-funded-abortions-on-25-25-vote/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/20/complaint-filed-with-irs-over-homily-by-catholic-bishop-2/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/20/complaint-filed-with-irs-over-homily-by-catholic-bishop-2/#comments Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:38:00 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=131654 Religion Clause Blog: Americans United announced yesterday that it has filed a formal complaint (full text) with the Internal Revenue Service alleging that the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria, Illinois . . . Bishop Daniel R. Jenky (later reprinted in The Catholic Post) in which Jenky compares President Obama's attitude toward churches with those of Hitler and Stalin . . . ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/20/complaint-filed-with-irs-over-homily-by-catholic-bishop-2/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/19/erik-stanley-irs-remains-mum-on-pulpit-initiative/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/19/erik-stanley-irs-remains-mum-on-pulpit-initiative/#comments Thu, 19 Apr 2012 21:33:33 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=131597 Speak Up Movement Church Blog: As readers of this blog know, ADF has conducted Pulpit Freedom Sunday since 2008. Pulpit Freedom Sunday is a legal project designed to restore a pastor’s right to speak freely from the pulpit without fearing government censorship or control. The government, by applying the Johnson Amendment to churches and pastors, has been mandating that certain content in a pastor’s sermon is off-limits and can result in penalties against the church. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/19/erik-stanley-irs-remains-mum-on-pulpit-initiative/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/17/what-tax-day-could-feel-like-in-2013-today-is-tax-freedom-day/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/17/what-tax-day-could-feel-like-in-2013-today-is-tax-freedom-day/#comments Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:15:33 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=131304 Heritage Foundation: In addition to today being Tax Day, it’s also, coincidentally, “Tax Freedom Day” — meaning that it has taken from January 1 until now for Americans to earn enough money to pay this year’s federal, state, and local tax bill — 29.2% of all our income. In other words, for the first 111 days of the year, everything you earned went straight to Uncle Sam. Compare that to back in 1900, when Americans paid only 5.9% of their income in taxes and Tax Freedom Day came on January 22. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/17/what-tax-day-could-feel-like-in-2013-today-is-tax-freedom-day/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/16/uk-vat-on-listed-buildings-could-spell-disaster-for-churches/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/16/uk-vat-on-listed-buildings-could-spell-disaster-for-churches/#comments Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:55:40 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=131229 Christian Today: The Bishop of Hereford has warned that the Government's plan to introduce VAT payments on alterations to listed buildings could be the "straw that breaks the camel's back" for many churches. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/16/uk-vat-on-listed-buildings-could-spell-disaster-for-churches/feed/ 0