Title: Catholic Group’s Tax Exemption Case Scheduled for Supreme Court Discussion
Summary: Friday saw the Supreme Court consenting to deliberate if charitable organizations, operating religiously, are required to contribute to employee unemployment taxes. Legal provisions at both state and federal levels largely exclude religious bodies from involvement in the unemployment tax system, but there has been no ruling on the stipulations for charities linked with religious groups. The matter is now under examination in a lawsuit launched by Catholic Charities in Wisconsin.
Representing the societal service aspect of the Catholic Church, the nonprofit Catholic Charities Bureau of Diocese Superior in Wisconsin is committed to their mission of providing services to the disadvantaged regardless of their race, gender, or religious affiliation. Though there is no active promulgation of religion, the group upholds that its endeavors are driven by gospel values and the Church’s moral doctrine.
Catholic Charities previously appealed for a state exemption on employee unemployment tax based its religious connection. State officials, however, rebuffed the appeal, asserting the organization’s activities as non-religious and hence not meeting the criteria for tax exemption perks.
In response, Catholic Charities took its case to the Supreme Court, claiming that the Wisconsin decision violates the First Amendment rights concerning religious freedom, and obscures the separation between religion and state.
The case is slated for consideration by the Supreme Court in the upcoming year, with an expected verdict by the end of June.