C Street House No Longer Tax Exempt

Residents of the C Street Christian fellowship house will no longer benefit from a loophole that had allowed the house's owners to avoid paying property taxes.

Previously, the house -- despite being home to numerous lawmakers -- had been tax exempt, because it was classified as a church. That arrangement had allowed the building's owner, the secretive international Christian organization The Family, to charge significantly below market rents to its residents. In recent year, Senators John Ensign (R-NV), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Jim DeMint (R-SC), and Reps. Zach Wamp (R-TN), Bart Stupak (D-MI) and Mike Doyle (D-PA) have all reportedly called C Street home.

Natalie Wilson, a spokeswoman for the Office of Tax and Revenue for Washington D.C., told TPMmuckraker that her office inspected the house this summer. "It was determined that portions of it were being rented out for private residential purposes," she said. As a result, the tax exempt status was partially revoked. Sixty-six percent of the value of the property is now subject to taxation.

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/11/c_street_house_no_longer_tax_exempt.php?ref=fpb

About damn time!

I really can't believe it had been hidden so long.

Now let's get rid of the other 34% and then go after the Catholic Church.

I'm sure Shalet (sp?) can provide proof of how long the building has been used primarily as a residence. Heck, I would bet that there are public records of the politicians' Washington residences that would prove who has lived there for a good number of years back.

:rofl:

maybe they can all move their DC gal-pals in, and make them pay part of the new rent:)

They seem to be getting off too easily, in my estimation.

I wish they could go after the whole lot of them. Church - meh!