Supreme Court to hear arguments on religious tax exemptions for Catholic charities
March 31 (UPI) -- The Supreme Court is to hear arguments Monday to determine whether Wisconsin-based Catholic-affiliated charitable groups should pay unemployment tax to cover their employees.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld in March of 2024 a decision by the state's Labor and Industry Review Commission, which said a particular set of groups that operate under the umbrella of the Catholic Charities Bureau of the Diocese of Superior "are not operated primarily for religious purposes" under state law and should not be eligible for an exemption in regard to the tax under Wisconsin's Unemployment Compensation Act.
The groups' argument is that their rights have been violated under the free exercise clause of the Constitution's First Amendment, which they interpret to exempt religious institutions from taxation.
The Wisconsin unemployment compensation system was created to offer a safety net for residents who have lost their jobs, and both similar programs in other states and the Federal Unemployment Tax Act do include religious exemptions.
However, Wisconsin's Unemployment Compensation Act only states exemptions as "established plans which the Commission finds," to be either "eligible for benefits at least the [employees] who would be eligible for benefits under the compulsory features of the act," but does not implicitly state religion anywhere in the document.
The groups in question who operate under CCB do not only serve people of the Catholic faith.
"Catholic Charities carries out this important work for the Diocese of Superior, Wisconsin, by helping the disabled, elderly, and those living in poverty, regardless of their faith," and that "the Wisconsin Supreme Court, however, ruled that Catholic Charities was not exempt because it serves everyone, not just Catholics," the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, who will represent Catholic Charities Bureau in court said in a press release.
"Catholic Charities will ask the Justices on Monday to protect its freedom to join the Church program."
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