The Church pays its taxes

As expected, over the past days polemics on assumed fiscal privileges ascribed to the Catholic Church gained center stage relevance. The bone of contention is the “real property” of dioceses, religious congregations, the Vatican and so on, improperly jointly labeled as “the Church and its privileges”. The latest, umpteenth polemics were sparked off by the municipal surtax on property (ICI tax), which starting next year will be reintegrated to include also starter homes. The slogan of those who launch and ride the wave of the polemics is “the Church doesn’t pay ICI taxes”. Is it true? It isn’t a privilege. “The Church pays ICI! It should be said, since the opposite claim is being made. Possible cases of elusion regarding specific bodies, if proven, ought to be ascertained and rigorously sanctioned. There is no coverage of those who fail to comply with the obligation to contribute to general wellbeing as taxpayers. Taxes are not an option”. Interviewed by the Italy daily Il Corriere della Sera, CEI president Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, rebutted the picture of a Church that avoids paying the taxes due. His Eminence also denied the possibility of improper “privileges”. “ICI exemption for certain categories of bodies and services – he said – is not a privilege. It’s the acknowledgement of the social value of the activity that in fact is exempted. Moreover, it should not be overlooked that tax exemption doesn’t only apply to the Church. In fact, it applies also to other religious confessions and to a myriad of non-profit bodies. The question is – and I believe that in this case there is wide consensus – if the world of solidarity should be taxed as much as businesses. How could soup-kitchens or an oratory soccer camp be considered competition? I repeat: we are willing to probe into the clarity of enforced regulations that encompass all non-profit bodies that fall within current tax exemptions”. It is convenient for the State. “ICI tax exemption – underlines jurist Giuseppe Dalla Torre – is justified by the social service assured by the Church through her various bodies, namely, the soup-kitchens for the poor, kindergartens, old-age and foster homes, reception centers for commuting students and workers. The State is unable to provide such services, which have a valuable social relevance, and if it did, expenses would certainly be much higher than those of these bodies marked by a high number of volunteers and which in some cases are entirely based on volunteering”. Moreover, “fiscal benefits are granted not only to the Church but also to the multiplicity of ‘lay’ bodies and organizations, private and public alike, which generate no form of profit”. This exemption, after all, is a “tax concession aimed at ensuring a range of services to weak social brackets, which would otherwise be marginalized and faced with non-existing or much more expensive services. It is an advantageous system for citizens and for the State. Under the strictly economic angle it is in the latter’s interest to enable the existence non-profit bodies providing such services”. Daily witness. “Let’s avoid turning it into a political issue”, claims SIR in a statement. “In an objectively serious situation. Raising a dust, resorting to old-dated laicistic stances only benefits those who fuel ideological rows, seeking to prove their point or diverting attention from other matters”. Indeed “the terms of the question are self-evident” and exemption “is granted only to non-commercial entities. All other property belonging to the Church or to religious bodies are subjected to taxation just like everyone else”. Secondly, in a period of crisis and economic reforms doomed to weigh heavily on all citizens, the Church is being asked to give a sign. It would be enough to realize what the Church does on a daily basis. “We should overcome the modesty that prevents us from mentioning how much is done through generous action, often in silence and in spite of great difficulties”, underlines Cardinal Bagnasco. “The innumerable support initiatives for the family and for all those that are in a state of difficulty because of the crisis – SIR underlines – are scrupulously documented and not only when they are implemented through public funding. In fact, the doors of the charity homes, of the catechism classes, of the parish groups, of associations, movements, old-age homes, parishes, oratories, diocesan museums, libraries, foster homes, as well as thousands of initiatives that have always animated our social, cultural and civil commitment, are always open to all those who wish to see with their own eyes and possibly, give a helping hand”.