God’s Storehouse, Rick Kloos attorney cite religious rights in court

Court records show that God's Storehouse, whose pastor is a Kansas state senator, is under federal scrutiny over the church's tax-exempt status.

DENVER — God’s Storehouse in Topeka contends the Internal Revenue Service is infringing on its religious rights by ordering some financial information be turned over for an IRS examination of its status as a church.

Congress enacted requirements “to safeguard religious institutions from capricious meddling” by the government so that “the First Amendment rights of churches are not trampled on” in the IRS’ zeal to collect revenue, God’s Storehouse told a judge Thursday.

The contention that the IRS is bypassing constitutional safeguards is in a filing at the U.S. District Court in Denver.

The IRS has ordered a Colorado company that processes the church’s credit card transactions to turn over records to the government.

More:Court filings shed light on IRS investigation into church run by Topeka Sen. Rick Kloos

God’s Storehouse says it has handed over a number of documents

Sen. Rick Kloos, R-Topeka, is arguing the Internal Revenue Service is infringing on the religious rights of God's Storehouse.

God’s Storehouse goes on to state it already has provided numerous documents — such as dates of its worship services and letters from its bank and insurance carrier — to support that it operates “as a Christian church.”

Its pastor is Rick Kloos, a Kansas state senator from Topeka. His organization also operates a thrift store at 2111 S.W. Chelsea Drive and a coffee house.

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