A number of you expressed outrage over Texas’ decision to deny tax-exempt status to Unitarian Universalists. There was certainly plenty to be upset about. In an outrageous stunt, state Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn ruled that the church, despite centuries of history in the United States, isn’t a real faith tradition and therefore doesn’t deserve an examption.
The good news, however, is that the state’s decision has been reversed.
Less than a week after Strayhorn vowed to fight this to the Supreme Court if necessary — she insisted she was single-handedly stopping “wannabe cults” from applying for an exemption — Strayhorn has backed down, apparently under the advice of her lawyers.
Reversing an earlier decision, state Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn announced Monday that a Unitarian church in Denison would get its tax-exempt status after all.
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Jesse Ancira, the comptroller’s general counsel, sent a letter Monday to Dan Althoff, board president of the Denison church, informing him of the change.
“Comptroller Strayhorn asked that I review the file on your congregation’s application for tax exemption,” Ancira wrote. “After reviewing the submitted application … it is my opinion that the Red River Unitarian Universalist Church is an organization created for religious purposes and should be granted the requested tax exemption.”
It’s rare when common sense and good judgment win out in Texas, but this appears to be just such a day. It was, however, just a matter of time. If the state hadn’t reversed course, a lawsuit would have challenged the decision and almost certainly would have succeeded. Fortunately, the policy change makes all of that unnecessary.