Ark Sunk

[Heywood]

Except they were not using public money to build the site.

What they were promised was a sales tax rebate after they spend their own money to build the site.

A tax rebate is no more no less than a gift from the government. Gifts from the government are government support.

If people who didn't attend church got a 10% rebate on income taxes paid, would you consider that a government gift? I bet you would. This is no different. Exemption from a tax or reduction of a tax which is ordinary paid by everyone else is government support.

It remains government support whether the government gives them to promote charity, job development, tourism, renewable energy, religious services, environmental protection, education, reparations for past discrimination, getting a football team in town, or any other reason. That is why church tax exemptions of any kind are a form of government support.

Taxes are the government's way of forcing people to support it. When the state grants a tax exemption it is simply saying it will not force this particular entity to support it. This perspective is at least as equally valid as yours if not more valid. Further, the whole point of this program is to help bring sales tax revenue....or support....to the state. How can this program be both? How can it be the state supporting tourist attractions and tourist attractions supporting the state?

Ideally I would like to see donations to non profits and religious organizations non deductible. I'd like to see no corporate tax and instead tax dividends at the individual rate. Corporation which wish to retain their earnings would issue statements to their share holders detailing what their dividend would have been had they not retained earnings and then individuals can pay tax on that. Individuals should pay taxes as individuals and not when they come together to engage in some activity. The tax code should be simple. People earn this much, they pay this much in tax.