Some Maryland pastors get tax exemptions on multi-million dollar homes

From schools, to hospitals and churches, hundreds of Maryland properties are tax exempt. But what about multi-million dollar homes? Should they get a pass on the tax tab? ABC2 News Investigator Joce Sterman explains why some of those who pray to a higher power don't have to pay a dime in property tax.

It's a bill most of us dread, even though we've come to accept it. But we all know property taxes come with the territory when you own a home. Towson's John Downs explains, "We have to pay taxes to support our municipal services."

That support that's based on the size of your home. The state makes an assessment and you send in a check. So you'd expect that the bigger the home, the bigger the payment to cover the tax tab. But that's not always the case.

The owners of a $2.1 Million mansion in Lutherville don't pay a dime in property tax. Neither do the people who live behind the gates of a $2.6 Million estate in Upper Marlboro. Stoneleigh resident Maureen O'Ferrall says, "God bless them."

Well, actually, he already does. That's because those multi-million dollar homes are tax exempt. They're parsonages. Robert Young, the deputy Director of the state's Department of Assessments and Taxation, explains, "It's the house that's furnished to a minister by an identifiable religious congregation for use by that minister."

In Maryland, tax exemption for parsonages is not guaranteed or mandatory. Many churches, including those with parsonages above the million-dollar mark, choose not to apply and some who apply are not granted exemptions. But hundreds of houses do make the cut, although five are worth more than a million bucks. Young says, "The value of the property raises questions in anyone's minds and we inquire further."

We had plenty of questions too, because when it comes to the home for a man of God, the sky's the limit. The state never set a cutoff. Young tells ABC2, "No one every thought it was probably necessary to have a dollar limit on the amount of a parsonage."

But some think its necessary now, including Baltimore City Councilman Carl Stokes. He says with the state's financial crisis, there's far less room for free rides. Stokes says, "We're going back to the same people and asking them to pay more out of their pockets for less services, frankly."

The Councilman would like to continue exempting the churches themselves, but for your sake, he feels it's time for their leaders to put a little something in the state's collection plate to cover the cost of services provided to their homes. Stokes says, "The police still come to that property. If there's a fire, the fire truck doesn't stop at that imaginary line."

Tax records show religious exemptions in Maryland totaled nearly $8 Billion in 2008, with a big piece of that money coming from parsonages. But when it comes to drawing the line, many have no problem with pastors getting an exemption, no matter what size home they live in. Marylander Nicole Barrett says, "They serve the community so I think it's fair. They serve God so I would say that would be fair."

But fair is not a question for a higher power. Instead, it may become a question for those in power in Annapolis. Stokes plans to discuss a potential cap for tax exemptions with members of the delegate from the city of Baltimore.

**We asked the churches who own each of the homes seen in the video for our story to comment (Higher Dimensions Christian Center, Spirit of Faith Christian Center, German Lutheran Church and the Archdiocese of Washington), but none were interested in speaking on camera. Only the Archdiocese of Washington, DC issued any statement to ABC2, telling us the Potomac property seen in our video is one many church owned properties. That home is located behind a nearby Catholic church and is used as a rectory. A spokeswoman tells us, "Catholic priests live on the church property wherever it is located - and churches are located in very poor communities and in wealthy ones."

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[commode7x]

This is the first result for a search of "now say tax exemption spongebob"

[BetterOffDamned]

This is DISGUSTING! Yeah, keep giving them money, you tithing fools..

[telmopaz]

And people still want to justify them. The woman that says this is fair..*facepalm*

[JRock005]

Because they teach that if you don't pay tithes, you're robbing God. Even though that statement was towards the priest.

[aoghghsfh]

Some religious pastors need to read the book they preach.

Matthew 19:21 - ht-tp://bible.cc/matthew/19-21­.htm

'Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."'

[soobwhale]

These people should be paying taxes.

[rubenduben]

seriously?... this is hypocrisy at the very highest level. I wonder where Jesus would live if he walked the Earth now. Wait.... no I don't!... heretics, everyone of them!

[vesorah]

Noting wrong with living in the homes , though not only religious leaders alone should live in such properties.