Televangelist denied tax break for jet

FORT WORTH, Texas, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Local tax officials in Fort Worth, Texas, say a televangelist will have to pay taxes on his private jet unless he releases information on his salary.

The Kenneth Copeland Ministry, also known as Eagle Mountain International Church, has protested the decision by the Tarrant Appraisal District, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. A hearing is scheduled for Monday.

Jeffrey Law, the district's chief appraiser, said the ministry simply did not provide all the information requested on application forms, including the compensation paid to directors.

"The application requires that they submit to us a list of salaries," Law said. "They have not given it to us, and as a result we have denied their exemption."

The jet, a 1998 Cessna Bravo 550, was donated to the ministry last year. The 9-passenger plane is valued at $3.6 million.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, tried to get information from the ministry last year. Grassley was investigating the finances of televangelists and their allegedly free-spending ways.