Auckland churches have been stung by a recent move to rate church properties.

OPINION: If a church can afford to drop $10 million on central Auckland real estate, then fund $6 million worth of improvements, it should be paying rates.

I'm talking about the Church of Scientology's spending splurge when it arrived in New Zealand's biggest city.

While some of the region's poorest fret over Auckland Council's demands each year – wondering why their rates have gone up and how they're going to pay – the Scientologists, reportedly worth billions, get off largely scot-free.

Their lucrative Grafton Rd property is 63 per cent non-rateable under the current rules.

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* Rate rises continually outstrip incomes and inflation - do they need an overhaul?

* Church sitting on property portfolio worth millions

* Scientology's supreme leader in Auckland for opening of new $16m headquarters

The law is ungodly.

OSSIAN BEE/SUPPLIED Church of Scientology Auckland $16 million is predominantly non-rateable.

It needs to change – rich churches should pay.

It's a section of the Local Government (Rating) Act that allows non-rateability for land used for "religious worship" and "religious education".

Basically, any property used "solely or principally" for religious worship is non-rateable.

And not only does the law allow our churches to run rate-free, it also appears loose on what a religious activity is.

"From time to time new congregations are formed and when that occurs their place of religious worship will usually be treated as non-rateable," Auckland Council head of rates valuations and data management Rhonwen​ Heath told Stuff.

"If a situation arose where there was uncertainty, we would need to take advice based on normal principles of statutory interpretation and relevant case law."

SUPPLIED The Catholic Church is rich. Why shouldn't it pay rates?

The New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists argues we all pay for these religious rates exemptions.

In 2016, it estimated New Zealand's then-1.5 million households paid $13.70 per annum to allow the religious places rating exemption – a total cost of $21m.

Well-established religions should not get off free either.

Why shouldn't the Catholic Church pay? God knows it has the cash.

The Economist pegged the annual spending and entities owned by the Catholics amounted to around $170 billion in 2010, while also noting the Catholic Church does not reveal its wealth.

A law change would be lengthy, not to mention complex – how do you fairly rate churches without hurting, or shutting down, modest congregations?

Wellington's legal beagles and policy whiz kids can thrash out the details.

One thing is for sure, the current system needs to go, god damn it.

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