Defenders of tax exemptions and deductions argues that if we got rid of them charitable giving would drop. It surely would, although how much, we can\u2019t say. But of course government revenue would go up, and that money could be used to, say, house the homeless and feed the hungry. We\u2019d have fewer church soup kitchens \u201d\u201d but countries that truly care about poverty don\u2019t rely on churches to run soup kitchens.<\/p>\n
Exemption advocates also point out that churches would be squeezed out of high-property-value areas. But if it\u2019s important to the people of Fifth Avenue to have a synagogue like Emanu-El or an Episcopal church like St. Thomas in their midst, they should pay full freight for it. They can afford to, more than millions of poorer New Yorkers whose tax bills the synagogue and church exemptions are currently inflating.<\/p>\n
So yes, the logic of gay-marriage rights could lead to a reexamination of conservative churches\u2019 tax exemptions (although, as long as the IRS is afraid of challenging Scientology\u2019s exemption, everyone else is probably safe). But when that day comes, it will be long overdue. I can see keeping some exemptions; hospitals, in particular, are an indispensable, and noncontroversial, public good. And localities could always carve out sensible property-tax exceptions for nonprofits their communities need. But it\u2019s time for most nonprofits, like those of us who faithfully cut checks to them, to pay their fair share.<\/p>\n