Last Thursday’s Wall Street Journal reports that one of the Vatican’s income streams is a gas station near St. Peter’s. And, it’s cheap. Why? It isn’t taxed. Here’s an excerpt from the story by Gabriel Kahn.
“Today, one of the Vatican’s most lucrative sources of income is a two-pump gasoline station located about 50 yards south of St. Peter’s. A steady stream of cars pull up to fill their tanks with gas that costs up to 30% less than it does in Italy because it isn’t taxed.
The cheap gas is so sought after that the Vatican allows only people with special residence or work permits to fill up. Otherwise, it could risk causing friction with Italy, which loses tax revenue every time an Italian buys gas inside the Vatican. “If we didn’t have that restriction, I wouldn’t have any financial problems at all,” says Cardinal Szoka.
