Posted on 07/19/2017 8:01:54 PM PDT by Rebelbase
Ive posted before about how Williamstown (Kentucky) officials are instituting a safety fee for ticket-taking attractions in the city.
If implemented, the city would charge Ark Encounter 50 cents per ticket to go towards things like fire trucks and police cars all the things that make the city a safer place for residents and tourists. Using the estimate of 1.4 million visitors a year, this would amount to approximately $700,000 that Ark Encounter would owe the city annually.
The Creationists at Ark Encounter, however, say they should be exempt from that charge because they run a non-profit ministry. You wouldnt force a church to pay taxes, now, would you?!
The problem is that up until now, Ark Encounter has legally been a for-profit business in order to receive a number of tax incentives from the city and state. Thats why officials in Williamstown figured they could ask Ark Encounter to pay up. Its not a church; its a money-making tourist attraction. They recently went ahead with their plans to make Ark Encounter pay the fee.
City leaders are now bracing for a lawsuit from the very organization that was supposed to save the local economy.
Meanwhile, Ark Encounter just took the boldest step yet to avoid paying the 50 cent surcharge.
According to the Lexington Herald-Leaders Linda Blackford, the team behind Ark Encounter recently sold the land on which the giant boat rests for a whopping $10.
Ark Encounter LLC sold its main parcel of land the one with the life-size Noahs Ark for $10 to their non-profit affiliate, Crosswater Canyon. Although the property is worth $48 million according to the Grant County Property Valuation Administrator, the deed says its value is only $18.5 million.
Thats the latest salvo in an escalating argument between local officials and Ark Encounter, but some are worried Ark Encounters maneuver is a precursor to declaring itself exempt from all taxes, including property taxes that help fund Grant County schools.
Just to summarize here, Ark Encounter used its for-profit status to receive all sorts of tax breaks. Then the Creationists told Williamstown officials that they ran a non-profit ministry to avoid paying more taxes. And now theyre basically confessing that they were a for-profit business this whole time because they just sold the boat to the non-profit entity that oversees it.
If thats confusing
well, welcome to how Creationists think.
Lets suppose for a moment that all of this is legal. At best, it suggests that Ark Encounter is incredibly unethical. Williamstown gave the Creationists cheap land and tax breaks galore over the next few decades with the hope that Ark Encounter would eventually create lots of jobs and bring in tourists who would spend money at surrounding businesses.
Ken Ham is paying them back by restricting jobs to his anti-gay Creationist buddies, threatening to sue the city over the safety fee, and finding a way to possibly withhold taxes that would fund local schools.
[Mayor Rick] Skinner said losing all of Ark Encounters property taxes would hurt the city, county, and most of all, schools.
It would be a huge hit to the schools, he said.
Skinner said he is disappointed in how much the towns relationship with Ark officials has deteriorated, but said he would wait to comment further until Tuesdays meeting.
Heres a statement that will surprise nobody: Ken Ham doesnt care about public schools. When youre playing the game of Christian indoctrination, education is the enemy. You think Ham gives a damn about public schools not getting money from his business? Not a chance. Hell consider that a victory.
Once again, Creationists are screwing over the city that bent over backwards to give them a home. Critics have been saying that for years. Unfortunately, it looks like local officials are finally realizing it when its too late.
(Thanks to Matt for the link. Portions of this article were published earlier)
Again it’s from Ken Ham’s FB page.
The only perception that could be made is how it is explained by Ken Ham:
We now have new permanent rainbow lights at the Ark Encounter so all can see that it is God’s rainbow and He determines its meaning in Genesis 6.
The rainbow is a reminder God will never again judge the wickedness of man with a global Floodnext time the world will be judged by fire.
The Ark is lit permanently at night with a rainbow to remind the world that God owns it and He decreed it’s a sign of His covenant with man after the FloodChristians need to take back the rainbow as we do at the Ark Encounter.
Typical of this incentive deals. The locals didn’t do such a good in striking the deal now they want to whine. The guy writing this is gleeful but it’s the wrong take for FR. Politicians should treat everyone equally including businesses.
This is clearly a biased piece with a writer who has it in for them. Anti gay creationist buddies?
Yeah objective and unbiased and fair, sure.
It also sounds like the city decided to add on a tax to each ticket after the deals were done but the writer glosses over that fact too. What else did the city alter afterwards?
Only brain-dead diseased pervert minds are stupid enough to buy that absurdity...
Your reply posted: Matthew 10:16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” But they apparently acting very shrewdly!
~*~*~*~
That is so perfect!
I need to remember that. All of us need to remember this in a multitude of situations and dealings. Being a ‘squish’ isn’t the way to fight injustice and evil. Great lesson in this verse and the story posted above.
Then the city pulled a switcharoo and tacked on a per ticket tax. My city has lured several factories in with tax incentives...but it has never done such a switcharoo.
I wonder why, given the justificatiin for the tax, the city didn't used a hotel bed tax instead...the answer may be that Ham is in their crosshairs.
Can you say "Uniform Fraudulent Transfers Act," boys and girls?
I knew you could!
They are going from Creat(ive) “Science” to creative bookkeeping.
Sounds to me like the city is trying to impose a disguised income tax directed at only 1 business in the city.
Introducing our newest attraction, the Audit Encounter!
I wish they would not do this. It reflects badly on Christendom.
Australia breeds the best con men.
I’d like to know just how “perfect” a gospel witness this is.
I don’t know in general but maybe it did here. It just seems so... fabulous.
“...welcome to how Creationists think.”
Welcome to [how journalists explain] how creationists think.
Do the 1.4 million visitors per year purchase gasoline in the town? Do they stop at a local restaurant and get something to eat? Do they stay at the hotels or motels in the area? Do they see and go to other things nearby?
So, the only organization that brings 1.4 million visitors - cash spending visitors - to the area must now start paying a tax designed to apply to that business only.
Greed indeed!
Sometimes bible explications can be technically right and all gospel wrong.
I don’t know. The feud could bring more dollars and more curses too.
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