Samaritan's Purse Will Have to Pay State Taxes for Volunteer Coronavirus Hospital in New York

Amanda Casanova | ChristianHeadlines.com Contributor | Updated: May 11, 2020
Samaritan's Purse Will Have to Pay State Taxes for Volunteer Coronavirus Hospital in New York

Samaritan's Purse Will Have to Pay State Taxes for Volunteer Coronavirus Hospital in New York

Samaritan’s Purse, which operated a field hospital in New York for the coronavirus outbreak, will have to pay state taxes.

According to CBN News, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the group will have to pay taxes on their hospital because the state is “not in a position to provide any subsidies right now.”

The field hospital, which is now shutting down after more than a month in the city, has served some 300 patients in New York City, Christian Headlines previously reported.

Rev. Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse, said New York lawmakers asked for help with the pandemic.

“They’re the ones who called us originally,” referring to officials with the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. “We didn’t call them; they called us,” he said. “And we agreed to go and we have not charged them one penny. All of our services have been paid by God’s people.”

Ken Isaacs, vice president of programs and government relations for Samaritan’s Purse, said he was also surprised to learn the organization would have to pay taxes.

“I said, ‘What?’” Isaacs said. “[The financial comptroller] said, ‘Yeah, there’s a law. If you work in New York state for more than 14 days, you have to pay income tax.’ I didn’t know that.”

Isaacs said he’s also concerned about the paperwork and “bureaucracy” involved in paying taxes to the state.

Since setting up in New York, Samaritan’s Purse has faced an onslaught of criticism. New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson called the organization’s presence “extremely troubling.”

Graham, however, said this week that they are in the city to “save lives” and not “argue with people.”

“Everybody in the city of New York knows about the tent hospital. We are there in Jesus’ name,” he said. “It’s just something God has done and it’s given us the opportunity to magnify His name in the middle of a crisis.”

Related:

Samaritan's Purse Leaving NYC after Caring for 315 Patients 'In Jesus' Name'

Under Fire from Many, Samaritan's Purse Finds an Unlikely Champion

Photo courtesy: ©Samaritan's Purse


Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.



Samaritan's Purse Will Have to Pay State Taxes for Volunteer Coronavirus Hospital in New York