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Press in the News

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October 15, 1993 Scientology's 'Charity' Forget, for a moment, the corporate spying, the illicit attempts to discredit its opponents. Forget the seized Church of Scientology documents that revealed a plan "to fully investigate the Clearwater city and county area so we can distinguish our friends from our enemies and handle as needed." Forget the "church" members who bugged U.S. Internal Revenue Service offices and stole files from government agencies. Consider merely the practical effect of the IRS' decision to grant tax-exempt status to 153 Church of Scientology churches, missions and corporations: The IRS now has granted charity status to a collection of corporations that deliver a service priced at $800 an hour; it has asked other taxpayers to, in effect, subsidize the work of a worldwide corporate empire whose method of counseling was developed by a former science fiction writer, L. Ron Hubbard. Press
October 14, 1993 Papers Detail Church's Finances The Scientologists own a cruise ship with a book value of $15.2-million, and they spent $8.5-million on legal expenses in a single year, $6-million for an ad campaign in USA Today, and $2.125-million for uniforms worn by members of its "Sea Org" division. The documents indicate that personnel costs are low. The staffers are paid $50 a week, live in a communal setting and spend 14 1/2 hours a day on religious work. Press
October 14, 1993 Scientologists Granted Tax Exemption by the U.S. The Government said today that it had agreed to grant a tax exemption to the Church of Scientology and more than 150 of its related corporations, ending one of the longest-running tax disputes in American history. Officials at the Internal Revenue Service and the Scientology group declined to spell out the details of the settlement and would not explain why it had finally been reached after four decades of costly and bitter court fights. For decades, the Government has said that although Scientology can be considered a religion, its affiliated organizations had operated as businesses for the financial gain of the church's leaders, most notably L. Ron Hubbard. IRS, Press
October 13, 1993 Los Angeles Times: Tax-Free Status OKd for Church of Scientology After decades of feuding, the Internal Revenue Service reversed itself and granted the Church of Scientology and more than 150 of its corporate entities tax-exempt status, ruling that they are charitable, religious organizations entitled to be free from federal income taxes. Los Angeles, CA, Press
April 6, 1993 Struggling Cocolat Closes Next-to-Last S.F. Store Cocolat Inc., the Hayward-based confection company that is struggling to avoid bankruptcy, yesterday shut one of its two San Francisco stores. In addition to its financial woes, Cocolat has been under attack for its management practices. In recent months a number of high-level managers and employees reportedly quit, claiming that they suffered "religious" harassment because their bosses used management techniques based on the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Church of Scientology. Press, Scientology in the Workplace
March 25, 1993 Indian Leaders Want Narconon Chilocco Audit Some Indian leaders are disappointed with the amount of revenue being generated by a drug and alcohol abuse treatment center that promised to pay five tribes millions of dollars over the next two decades. The leaders of the Kaw and Pawnee tribes have asked the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs to audit the Narconon Chilocco New Life Center to determine whether the non-Indian facility is meeting payment terms of a 25-year lease. Narconon, Press
March 21, 1993 Bittersweet - Cocolat and Scientology Two years since an employee's embezzlement forced the sale of Cocolat Chocolate Co., an unlikely mix is brewing at the company's Hayward plant: Scientology and chocolate. The mixture has been volatile. Cocolat is the latest in a small but growing number of California companies whose employees claim religious harassment because their employers are using management techniques based on the teachings of Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Press, San Francisco, WISE
January 21, 1993 Scientology's Accusations Are Unfounded: Letters Please set the record straight for your readers. After monitoring CAN for more than a decade, Scientology has been able to find nothing that holds up under scrutiny on CAN's supposed criminality. If it had been paying a little less attention to the cult awareness movement and a little more attention to its own organization, maybe the Church of Scientology of Toronto and its officials would not have been found guilty of spying on government agencies up there. Maybe Mary Sue Hubbard, wife of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, and several other top Scientology officials wouldn't have gone to prison for felony convictions here in the United States. crimes, defamation, Press
January 20, 1993 Scientology, County Deadlock During the past two years, Pinellas County's property appraiser has met intermittently with officials from the Church of Scientology, trying to reach an agreement on the church's multimillion-dollar tax bill. The result of the closed-door meetings: No deal. Now, the matter will go back to court. Clearwater, Press, taxes
December 28, 1992 Hubbard from Pinellas to Russia The Scientologists have been busy. In October they mailed to Clearwater area homes copies of The Way to Happiness, A Common-Sense Guide to Better Living. A cover letter said the booklet "helps develop respect for family and others and friendliness in the community." Clearwater residents aren't the only folks being treated to copies of The Way to Happiness. So are the Russians. Clearwater, Press, Russia, Way to Happiness Foundation

Press in the News

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May 12, 2006 Polish Scientologists Ordered to Remove Tents When Scientology erected tents in Warsaw's city center to attract new members, city officials ordered them taken down. Press
September 30, 1996 Patrice Vic Trial Begins - Scientology Executive Charged with Manslaughter Trial begins in the death of Patrice Vic. Scientology executive Jean-Jacques Mazier is charged with manslaughter, and 22 other Scientologists also face charges. crimes, deaths, France, Patrice Vic, Press