Televangelist Kenneth Copeland, the richest pastor in America, avoids paying an annual property tax bill of $150,000 by claiming that his massive lakeside mansion is a clergy residence, which qualifies it for a complete tax break according to the Daily Mail.
Copeland, 85, enjoys the spoils of his six-bed, six-bath house – with a sweeping spiral staircase, crystal chandeliers, and a tennis court – without contributing a single dime to the area’s schools and first responders.
The $7 million estate, located right outside of Forth Worth, Texas, is even driving distance from an airport bearing his name, from which he commands a fleet of private jets, including a Gulfstream V he bought from filmmaker Tyler Perry, according to an investigation by the Houston Chronicle.
The report stated that Copeland stated: ‘You may think that house is too big,’ he said at the 2015 Southwest Believers’ Convention in Fort Worth. ‘You may think it’s too grand. I don’t care what you think. I heard from heaven. Glory to God, hallelujah!’
Copeland is known for his eccentric sermons, which include speaking in tongues and claiming that COVID-19 will go away while blowing ‘the wind of God’ at the virus. He has built a massive net worth of $760 million, according to a 2018 list of the country’s richest pastors by Beliefnet.
His three-story, 18,000 st ft home is surrounded by a 24-acre lakefront tract. Copeland is able to avoid paying annual property taxes on it thanks to a century-old Texas law that exempts clergy homes, or parsonages, from taxes, the Houston Chronicle reports. That means that other taxpayers must pick up the debt not paid by millionaire Copeland in order to fund the costs of schools and first responders.
