Ramapo, NY – New York’s highest court agreed today to hear Ramapo’s argument that a religious congregation can be taxed on its operation of a summer day camp.
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The Court of Appeals will consider an Appellate Division ruling in May that Congregation Rabbinical College of Tartikov remains tax exempt for its camp amid 130 acres off Routes 203 and 306.
The Appellate Division panel overruled a state Supreme Court justice who sided with Ramapo’s decision to tax the congregation because the summer camp is a profit-making enterprise.
Ramapo Town Board voted to appeal.
Tartikov’s lawyers argue the summer camp financially supports the congregation and remains within the institution’s religious exemption. The lawyers argue the camp is no different than a religious institution’s catering business or bingo event.
The camp is located on property in Pomona where Tartikov wants to build a rabbinical college, complete with dormitories for 250 students and their families. The students in the 15-year program would live on campus.
The congregation bought the land for $13 million in 2005 from the Yeshiva of Spring Valley in Monsey.
Tartikov has not filed development plans for a college, pending a decision in its federal lawsuit against Pomona. The congregation sued Pomona in July 2007, arguing the village’s land-use regulation and conduct prohibited Tartikov from building and operating the college and housing for students on the 130-acre site.
Why should our taxes subsidize ANY religious group engaging in commercial, for profit, activities. Its not just Tartikov, this would include Bobover, Satmer, Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches in the county, all of whom engage ins some form of commercial activity.
I agree with #1 ….If it is a for-profit enterprise under the guise of a religious organization, it should be fully taxed.
But who said tartikov is a for profit enterprise? is that fact..?
#1 ,
Religious organizations already pay taxes on their commercial activities. And if shuls and yeshivot need to pay taxes on their non-commercial activities, a lot of them will be forced to close.
The real question is whether this qualifies as an exempt religious activity or a taxable commercial activity. There’s a huge body of law on the subject. The danger comes when people say “It supports something Jewish, so OF COURSE it shouldn’t be taxed.”