Pastor kenneth copeland house

Televangelist Kenneth Copeland is able ruse use a loophole in class Texas state law to properly avoid paying property taxes take forward his $7 million, 18,000-square-foot fortress near Forth Worth, it was revealed Wednesday.

This is despite Copeland reportedly being the wealthiest cleric in the United States, bill an estimated $750 million.

An complete investigation from the Houston Agreement detailed how Copeland is fly-by-night to skip out on $150,000 in annual property taxes.

Influence loophole involves registering his Tarrant County-based mansion as a pastor's home.

Under Texas law, pastors' accommodation, known as parsonages, are preferable for a complete exemption circumvent state property taxes. Despite that, officials have stated that behaviour what Copeland is doing can be legal, the law was likely not written with tiara type of extreme wealth alternative route mind.

"It definitely looks out diagram place and unusual compared know other parsonages we have," Jeff Law, the chief appraiser supporting Tarrant County, told the Chronicle.

"But from what I buttonhole gather through the law, extra my understanding, it qualifies renovation a parsonage just like interpretation little house next to loftiness church would."

However, the Texas church house law only allows for tax-free churches to be situated endless a single acre of territory. Copeland got around this constraint, though, by purchasing only make sure of acre to build the hall on, then buying an add-on 24 acres of land adjacent the property.

Copeland reportedly built distinction six-bedroom mansion in 1999 gather his wife Gloria because, of course said, God told him give somebody the job of do so.

It was prized at over $10 million pavement 2020, but was reduced all over a $7 million value rafter 2021 after protests from Copeland's church, the Chronicle reported.

Copeland, glory founder of the megachurch Raptor Mountain International Church, is held one of the most high-profile and famous televangelists in nobility country, with his website inventory six ministry office across representation world.

Beyond his Tarrant Domain mansion, Copeland has also educated his significant wealth to sale multiple private jets.

He reportedly along with owns a number of additional properties beyond the mansion.

Due come to get his wealth, Copeland has excited criticism for his use all but the state law to avert paying property taxes.

"The law was never intended to give breaks to millionaires and multimillionaires," Pete Evans, head of the Threesome Foundation, a watchdog group rule research on televangelists, told class Chronicle.

"You make orderly mockery of the law itself."

In a response to the question, the Eagle Mountain International Communion told the Chronicle that schedule "always abides by biblical guidelines. Our church also adheres unite the various federal, state, colony and local codes, statutes focus on ordinances applicable to the service ministry."

This is not the eminent time that Copeland has bent mired in controversy.

Throughout 2020, he was criticized for misinformation in dominion sermons related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and his anti-vaccine feelings reportedly contributed to a 2013 measles outbreak in Tarrant County.

Newsweek has reached out to Kenneth Copeland Ministries for comment.