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PRESS
RELEASE
Religious
Organizations in Belarus Get Tax Relief
Washington,
D.C., December 5,
2005
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko signed on December 2, 2005, Decree
#571 “On exemption of religious organizations from land-tax and property
tax”.
According to the document, all religious organizations in Belarus were
exempted from the land-tax levied on land plots allocated to the
organizations and from property tax levied on capital assets which belong to
the religious organization.
The property of religious organizations, which can be considered to be main
assets and is used for religious not economic purposes, is exempted from
real estate taxes. Among them – temple articles (altars, icons, sepulchers),
articles necessary to conduct ceremonies (crosses, gonfalons, beads, fonts)
liturgical literature. These goods are of high historical-cultural value and
contain precious metals.
The decree has attached a list of religious organizations which are exempted
from land tax and property tax and also a list of main assets attributable
to church property to be exempt from property tax.
The measures will improve the financial status of religious organizations
which are financed through voluntary donations of believers and intensify
their social, educational and humanitarian activity.
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