The town has denied a property tax exemption to Congregation Rabbinical College of Tartikov because of a summer camp on the Pomona property. The camp is to pay $331,000 to Tartikov between 2005 and 2009.
It also seemed to Town Attorney Michael Klein that Tartikov needed to take “concrete steps to show that they were on the way to lawfully use the property for an exempt purpose.” Paul Savad, a Nanuet attorney representing Tartikov, said that the camp was a temporary use while the organization moves toward its goal of a college to train rabbis for religious courts.
He said Yeshiva of Spring Valley, the former property owner, had a tax exemption while operating the camp, and he didn’t understand why Tartikov couldn’t do the same.
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16 Responses
This is crazy, Monsey used to be a nice quiet community and look what has happened over the years with all these new developments……
Here we go again. The property is being used to provide income, and yet they want tax exempt status.
The readers here do not understand the Chillulei Hashem going on here and the POTENTIAL for antisemitism. Besides, does a 1,000 person population really expect to live tax-free and we, the tax paying members of society, support them?
Unfortunately this breeds antisemitism. We must start policying ourselves. The sooner the better.
This is just another example of Pomona town anti semitism. Yeshiva Spring Valley couldn’t build because they were refused permits by the same anti semites. Time to vote them out.
Stop playing the anti-semitism card.
America is a great, benevolent country.
Americans respects religious people.
I don’t know how insular some of you posting here are, but I maintain extensive contacts with non-Jewish people and I have NEVER removed my yarmulke. Americans respect me for that, and respect my observence.
Americans do not respect cheating or ways to circumvent taxes. That breeds antisemitism.
Doe Esau hate Jacob?
Sure they do.
Don’t give them any ammunition to hate us.
Don’t try to cheat the system. Don’t expect 1,000 people with families to live tax-free and then have the rest of the population support them with their hard-earned tax dollars while they benefit from fire/police protection and water/sewer/road systems to live their lives.
It’s not right, and people see right through the deception.
Uh, Mr. Modern Orthodox? Did you lose your reading glasses?
How is the Congregation Rabbinical College of Tartikov and their tax status related to “1,000 people with families to live tax-free…rest of the population support them with their hard-earned tax dollars while they benefit from fire/police protection and water/sewer/road systems”?
Did you by mistake think the Rabbinical College and associated camp is a euphemism for “new town”, or were you so eager to let loose regarding your favorite topic that you forgot to finish reading?
j.s.
wow – I never new Monsey used to be nice until all these Jews moved in? amazing… oh, but of course you LOVE all Jews don’t you? (as long as they live somewhere far away)
m.o. while you’re at it with you underground cash economy and tax cheats – why don’t you add a few clips from the nazi’s YM’S that compares Jews to rodents and leaches? I think it would make you point very clear!
a few of my boys go to a day camp that rents space from a public school. according to m.o., that public school should lose the tax free status (after all they are making a profit). goyisha schools and houses of worship, rent space all the time to outside groups – per m.o. they should be taxed. Right m.o.—- or is it only the Yeshivas?
It may be that there are anti-semites in Pomona who oppose the Tartikov development. There are also many frum Jews who also oppose the development. There are legitmate reasons to oppose the change to the community adding 1,000 families to a 100 acre site in a community where single family houses are on single acre lots of land. The merits of the development should be debated without name calling that justs adds to the ill will on both sides in the community.
HEY MO: I saw the same post as yours above on the KKK website. Cross-posting?
Tartikov is requesting the same status as any church school.
It’s amazing how some people automatically assume the jews are at fault and are the cause of anti semitism. I worked in a camp there for two years and saw first hand the hatred of these departments as they tried every dirty trick to get us. They wrote articles in the paper about us because they found water in old tires by the go kart track and decided that this was a mosquito risk and therefore went to the press claiming we were a huge risk to kids. This is an enclose area and will not hurt anyone.
PS Monsey is still a great place to live.
OK, let’s stop comparing MO to Nazi’s and KKK.
At least he puts his money where his mouth is: He says “we need to start policing ourselves”.
(As soon as Tartikov get it’s Batei Dinim up and running they might take over the policing so that MO can take a break.)
That being said, $100,000 a year is more than most people would pay without putting up a fight. It is also more than the $330,000 they will make from the camp over the next four years. A look at Tartikov’s website will show that they also talk to non-jews on a regular basis and seem to be dealing with everything through legal channels.
There is a difference between “income” , and “for proifit”. Look at the IRS 990 form of any tax exempt organization and it has place for: income from membership; income from sales; etc.’ If the money is reinvested in the organization, allowing for reasonable salaries for staff, it is operating like any normal non-profit should. If two guys take out 800,000 each, to buy houses and leave the organization scrambling to pay the phone bill, that is abuse. If the Tartikov leases the land to the camp and uses the money to build a yeshiva, it’s 100% kosher income for a non-profit l’chol hadayos. You want to complain about non-profits making income on property? The New york Archdioses is one of the largest property holders in NYC. Go complain to the mayor. Make sure you get on CNN. WE need more anti-semites. The anti-semites already here might consider posting on davidduke.com, he’s more interested in your ignorant drivel than we are.
Matzahlocaol101,
I believe you are confusing “income” taxes (i.e. IRS Form 990) and “property” taxes (which is at issue in the Tartikov case).
A non-profit may turn an income tax free profit if the profits are useMatzahlocaol101,
I believe you are confusing “income” taxes (i.e. IRS Form 990) and “property” taxes (which is at issue in the Tartikov case).
A non-profit may turn an income tax free profit if the profits are used in the manner you set forth above. However, non-for-profits are not exempt from property taxes when the property is revenue generating.
Think about it, how would a “for-profit” landlord ever compete with a non-for-profit landlord if the non-for-profit does not have to pay a MAJOR expense property expense (i.e. property taxes).
d in the manner you set forth above. However, non-for-profits are not exempt from property taxes when the property is revenue generating.
Think about it, how would a “for-profit” landlord ever compete with a non-for-profit landlord if the the non-for-profit does not have to pay a MAJOR expense property expense (i.e. property taxes).
Full recourse – so the public school that rent space to Jewish day camps should pay property taxes – correct?
Why is it anti semitism if they oppose the property tax exemption? NYC is currently fighting the diplomatic community over this issue. The case may even end up by the supreme court
Additionally, if an exempt organization has unrealted business activities then it is subject to corporate taxes on that income. If tehy have it too often then they can lose their exemption.
Mdlevine,
The public school system is actually a city entity — the same body of government that receives the property taxes. It therefore makes little sense for them to charge themselves property taxes.
I’ve been reading your posts for a while now — you seem inclined to challenge an argument (or in my case a fact) as a knee-jerk reaction — without actually analyzing the post to which you are commenting to.
Matzahlocaol101 wrote that what Tartikov was doing is kosher “l’chol hadayos.” In support of his conclusion, Matzahlocal101 applied standards from a tax regime which is wholly unrelated to the tax regime in question (i.e. from the Federal Income Tax regime to the local property tax regime).
In other words, as a matter of “fact” (not an argument, a fact), all non-for-profits, including the Archdioses, pay property taxes on revenue generating property. I therefore see no reason why you would toss in an objection, just for the sake of being a non-conformist.
Moreover, as a matter of policy, do you not agree that it would be a very bad for business if non-for-profits were able to run rental properties and not pay property taxes, when property taxes are the single largest expense facing any landlord?
F.R. — I guess that I will have to do my homework and head down to city(village) hall to see if the churches are paying property taxes for the portion of the building in which they run bingo games or rent to others.
re: the public school argument – it was there strictly to point out that the main reason for the Tartikov property is to serve as a School (once it is approved – B’Ezat HsShem) and not to generate revenue the same as is the purpose of the public school. The Revenue from the camp on the Tartikov property is to help offset the running expenses of the school (not arguments but FACTS).
one last point, there are certain people whose posts I do not read and I am sure that some people see “mdlevine” and don’t read mine. if you do not like my posts, feel free to skip them. no hard feelings – 🙂