Impact fee revealed

Did you know that a serious attempt to impose a tax on non-profits, churches, and religious schools is underway in Coweta County?

I wish I could say it isn’t so but the word comes directly from members of the Coweta County Commission.

Hiding under the guise of an “impact fee,” this tax would amount to over $4,500 for every 1,000 square feet of a new building constructed.

If this tax had been in place when the two buildings for Trinity Christian School were erected, the amount that would have gone straight into county coffers, before a brick was laid or a nail driven, would have been in excess of $200,000. Yep, you read that right.

It’s already hard enough for the NCRS organizations (non-profits, churches, and religious schools) to just scrape by ministering to people, educating students, helping the poor, providing counseling, etc., without the government coming in and adding a repressive tax.

Very few NCRS’s are able to show much of a financial profit at the end of the year, assuming, correctly, that their profit is found in changed lives, in services offered, and in an improved community.

Most of the services that these groups perform are either free or at low cost, financed by the people inside the organizations themselves.

We are a small church, yet, during 2005, our little group gave away some $70,000 to missions in Georgia and overseas. That amount of money included nearly $30,000 that we spent right in the local area, including some victims of Katrina, assisting individuals ands families that had fallen on difficult times.

Yet, if we were building our small structure today, the county would extort thousands of dollars in taxes, called “impact fees.”

Some have said that these fees will not affect churches, but a county commissioner told me personally that churches and other non-profits were not exempt.

We hope to build a new building soon that will allow us to minister more effectively to the children and youth of our church and community but, at $4,500-plus per 1,000 square feet, we may not be able to do that anytime soon.

What about the new churches that currently meet in schools, store fronts, and homes? Such a repressive tax will delay their plans as well.

Many parents who send their kids to private schools work extra jobs and sacrifice greatly to afford the tuition, which in religious schools is relatively low. But add a tax of $200,000 here and a quarter million there and these families, mostly middle and working class, will not be able to afford the tuition that will ultimately have to increase.

Some would say, “Well, everybody has to do their part and pony up.” Really? Government buildings are exempt from the impact fees. So are public schools. So much for fairness.

So, how much should NCRS’s have to pay in taxes? Nothing. Not a dime. They are already doing their part. Every single person that goes to church on Sunday already pays sales tax, gas tax, income tax, property tax (if they own a home), and the other myriad taxes imposed by local, state, and federal governments.

Every pastor pays taxes. Every Sunday School teacher pays taxes. Every private school teacher and staff member pays taxes. Everyone who works in a non-profit pays taxes. Every parent who sends his or her kid to private schools already pays taxes to support the public school system. When is enough going to finally be enough?

The fact that a local government is seriously considering imposing a tax on church building projects, religious schools, and non-profits (call it whatever “fee” you want) ought to send a collective chill through the faith community.

There has been a long-standing and honored tradition and understanding that the NCRSs are valuable assets and provide services and programs that enhance lives, families, and communities. In most states, these groups are exempt from sales and property tax, and they should be.

The members of the Coweta County Commission have a tough job and there are many problems they have to solve. But taxing churches, religious schools, and non-profits that need to build or expand is ill-advised and just plain wrong.

Citizens, especially those in the faith community, should pray for and talk to members of the commission. There are tens of thousands of local citizens who attend church and many of these send their kids to religious schools. They already pay their fair share in taxes.

The First Amendment of the U. S. Constitution states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble...” I believe that such a tax as proposed for Coweta County violates the First Amendment and, if necessary, should be opposed as such. It’s not only a fairness issue, it’s a civil rights issue.

I trust the county commission will do the right thing and not hinder the ability of NCRS groups to function freely in their purpose and mission. Dropping this bad idea is the right thing to do.