Alaska megachurch owes $61k for improper tax-free home claims
Source: Anchorage Daily News
The Anchorage Baptist Temple improperly claimed tax-free status for the homes of two of its ministers and now owes the city more than $61,000 in back taxes, the Anchorage Assessor has ruled.
... The assessor, Marty McGee, said Friday ... the church wrongly asserted it was the sole owner of the properties, a requirement under state law for tax-exempt status. The city's nine-month investigation determined that the two pastors held undisclosed ownership interests in their homes, he said.
... The Baptist Temple, a megachurch active in conservative politics, holds more tax-exempt residences than any church in Alaska, according to the state assessor. Jerry Prevo and his administrative pastor, the Rev. Glenn Clary, have been deeply entrenched in the Republican Party. Both have been national delegates -- Prevo was chair of the Alaska delegation in 2000 when the party nominated George Bush -- and Clary was once a candidate for state Republican Party chairman.
... Before Superior Court Judge Frank Pfiffner accepted Allen Prevo's motion to seal the court file, an advocate for Anchorage gay, lesbian and transgender rights, Melissa Green, obtained some of the documents and wrote about the case on her blog, BentAlaska. Prevo has long been opposed to gay rights legislation and was active against the April gay rights ballot measure.
Read more: http://www.adn.com/2012/07/14/2542644/assessor-church-owes-city61000.html
