Great: Judge sides with ark-building group on tax incentive

A religious group building a massive Noah's Ark tourist attraction in Kentucky has won a legal battle over the state's withdrawal of a potential tax incentive worth millions.

A federal judge ruled Monday that Kentucky officials violated the ark builders' First Amendment protections by blocking it from the sales tax tourism incentive that could have been worth up to $18 million.

The Ark Encounter, being built by Christian group Answers in Genesis, is due to open in July.

U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove ruled the state's Tourism Cabinet cannot exclude the ark attraction from the incentive based on its "religious purpose and message." The state initially celebrated the project but reversed course in late 2014.

Answers in Genesis founder Ken Ham says the ruling is a "victory for the free exercise of religion in this country."

"The state gave us no choice but to bring this legal action," Ham said in a release Monday night. "We, along with our attorneys, tried for many months to show these officials why their actions were blatantly violating our rights under the federal and state constitutions."

State tourism officials, under former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, said they chose to block the $90 million attraction from the incentive in late 2014 after seeing statements from website postings and investor meetings that indicated the park would "be an extension of (Answers in Genesis') ministry."

Republican Gov. Matt Bevin, who took office in December, has said that he supports tax incentives for the project.

http://www.sacbee.com/entertainment/living/religion/article56548868.html#storylink=cpy

Great: Judge sides with ark-building group on tax incentive

Great: Judge sides with ark-building group on tax incentive

Anarcho-Capitalist Non-Miscellaneous

Celebrate Evildoers' Inadvertent Contributions to AnCaps' Values!