As for "taxing the Church(es)," I'd agree if we also started to tax public schools, universities, and hospitals as well.

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Then give the discount to all on said day, sort of like happy hour or a special in house sale. Also by not attracting the customers to the lot the streets would fill up leaving no free public parking.

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this is more the question. it's a public place, and everyone should pay the same. a church is a private entity, but nonetheless, it makes money. A LOT of money, and for religious businesses, them not paying taxes is no different in the grand scheme of things than the govt. or state making you pay say more for your food than they do, or more for a car, or home, or anything for that matter. they earn X, put X in their pockets. we earn X - Uncle Sam.

when God starts subsidizing the taxes churches and all other religious businesses don't pay for our schools, roads, teachers, police force/fire dept.......I'll leave this topic alone.

The title of this thread makes it sound like the "atheist group" owns the garage and decided to stop giving the Witnesses a discount.

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The garage is going to be filled up anyway. It's a preference to the organization, no subsidy.

Jury duty in Hudson County gets you no parknig subsidy. You pay more than twice as much for daily parking as you get for your service.

Perhaps this discount had nothing to do with religon at all. On Saturday's and Sundays there are hundreds of people that go to the Stanley for their services. I would think they gave discount parking prices because these people were attending a large event and without these people parking in the garage it might be less occupied.

You see discounted parking for events all the time. If you are not going to the event then you do not get the discount. It seems like a good business opportunity to fill up your garage.

Go atheists!

The BIG question is, when do we stop giving federal, state, and local tax breaks to religious organizations? I have no problems with giving them tax breaks on their charitable work, however not for their general operations and land ownership.

This is great news for anyone who understands what equality actually means.

http://ffrf.org/

Atheist Group Stops Parking Discounts for Church Goers

By Freedom From Religion Foundation , Protecting Church and State Separation

The company that operates a privately owned parking ramp in Jersey City, N.J., has agreed to stop giving religious discounts to ramp users after the Freedom From Religion Foundation complained on behalf of one of its more than 300 members in New Jersey.

The complainant noticed a sign that offered "special parking up to 10 hours" for $5 at the Journal Square Ramp on Saturdays and Sundays for Jehovah's Witnesses, who worship at a nearby Assembly Hall. The price for the general public was $8.

Rebecca Kratz Markert, Foundation staff attorney, wrote a Sept. 4 letter to Harwood Properties, which owns the ramp:

"Providing discounts only to members of the Jehovah's Witnesses faith violates the federal Civil Rights Act, along with New Jersey state law and the city code of Jersey City. The Civil Rights Act states in relevant part, 'All persons shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of any place of public accommodation . . . without discrimination on the ground of race, color, religion, or national origin,' " the letter said.

Such a restrictive promotional practice favors religious customers and denies customers who do not attend Jehovah's Witnesses services the right to "full and equal enjoyment" of the ramp, Markert said.

The Foundation ascertained that the $3 discount was not being subsidized by the church. After the letter was sent to the property owner, a different sign went up, offering parking at an even lower rate of $4 to Jehovah's Witnesses.

The Foundation contacted the Jersey City Human Rights Commission about the violation.

Markert said the property owner objected initially and basically said we "should take him to court."

But after the city filed its own complaint, Harwood agreed to stop the practice. Scott Harwood, managing member, wrote to the city: "As of the date of this writing [Oct. 21], I have spoken to the parking operator for the Square Ramp Garage, which we own, and they advised me that as of this writing, they will no longer provide special discount [sic] for the Jehovah's Witnesses."

Markert praised the quick intervention by Melvin Prince, senior community relations specialist for the Jersey City Human Rights Commission. "He recognized the outlandish nature of this civil rights violation and even hand-delivered a copy of the Foundation's letter and the Commission's own complaint to the property owner. The Foundation appreciates such commitment to the law."

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No more discounts for the religious at NJ paid parking lot
November 3

The company that operates a privately owned parking ramp in Jersey City, N.J., has agreed to stop giving religious discounts to ramp users after the Freedom From Religion Foundation complained on behalf of one of its more than 300 members in New Jersey.

The complainant noticed a sign that offered "special parking up to 10 hours" for $5 at the Journal Square Ramp on Saturdays and Sundays for Jehovah's Witnesses, who worship at a nearby Assembly Hall. The price for the general public was $8.

Rebecca Kratz Markert, Foundation staff attorney, wrote a Sept. 4 letter to Harwood Properties, which owns the ramp:

"Providing discounts only to members of the Jehovah's Witnesses faith violates the federal Civil Rights Act, along with New Jersey state law and the city code of Jersey City. The Civil Rights Act states in relevant part, 'All persons shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of any place of public accommodation . . . without discrimination on the ground of race, color, religion, or national origin,' " the letter said.

Such a restrictive promotional practice favors religious customers and denies customers who do not attend Jehovah's Witnesses services the right to "full and equal enjoyment" of the ramp, Markert said.

The Foundation ascertained that the $3 discount was not being subsidized by the church. After the letter was sent to the property owner, a different sign went up, offering parking at an even lower rate of $4 to Jehovah's Witnesses.

The Foundation contacted the Jersey City Human Rights Commission about the violation.

Markert said the property owner objected initially and basically said we "should take him to court."

But after the city filed its own complaint, Harwood agreed to stop the practice. Scott Harwood, managing member, wrote to the city: "As of the date of this writing [Oct. 21], I have spoken to the parking operator for the Square Ramp Garage, which we own, and they advised me that as of this writing, they will no longer provide special discount [sic] for the Jehovah's Witnesses."

Markert praised the quick intervention by Melvin Prince, senior community relations specialist for the Jersey City Human Rights Commission. "He recognized the outlandish nature of this civil rights violation and even hand-delivered a copy of the Foundation's letter and the Commission's own complaint to the property owner. The Foundation appreciates such commitment to the law."