The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to decide whether charities run by religious groups have to pay unemployment taxes that cover their employees.
Most, but not all, states generally exempt religious groups from having to pay into the state’s unemployment tax system. Federal law does exempt religious schools from having to participate in the federal-state program. But the court has never ruled on the question of participation by charitable organizations run by religious groups. Now the court has agreed to tackle the question in a case brought by Catholic Charities against the state of Wisconsin.
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In light of all that, Catholic Charities applied to the state for an exemption from paying unemployment taxes for its employees. But the state labor commission refused the application, on grounds that the charitable group was engaging in activities that “are not religious, per se,” and thus are not entitled to be exempt from paying unemployment taxes.
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Article URL : https://www.npr.org/2024/12/13/g-s1-38242/supreme-court-catholic-charities-wisconsin