There are certainly cases where churches own a vast portion of urban real estate, all tax-free. I'd be amazed if churches didn't own a plurality of the land in the greater Oklahoma City area, for instance. It's funny how "The power to tax is the power to destroy" doesn't apply to any of the other entities mentioned in the First Amendment.
Scientology is probably too small to own much of LA. Clearwater, FL, on the other hand, may be a different story.
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There are certainly cases where churches own a vast portion of urban real estate, all tax-free. I'd be amazed if churches didn't own a plurality of the land in the greater Oklahoma City area, for instance. It's funny how "The power to tax is the power to destroy" doesn't apply to any of the other entities mentioned in the First Amendment.
Scientology is probably too small to own much of LA. Clearwater, FL, on the other hand, may be a different story.
Trinity Church is still one of the largest Manhattan landholders, descending from a royal land grant: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_Church_%28Manhattan%29#...