Grifters Gotta Grift
The group that owns the theme park Ark Encounters have sold the park to their nonprofit affiliates for 10 dollars to avoid paying taxes, according to a report Monday by the Lexington Herald-Leader. The Christian theme park in Williamstown, Kentucky is owned by creationist Ken Ham and features a life-sized recreation of Noah’s Ark.
Ark Encounter LLC sold the park’s land on June 28 to its nonprofit affiliate, Crosswater Canyon, for ten dollars, just a day before the city sent a letter rejecting the organization’s request to be exempted from a new safety tax because of its religious affiliation.
By selling the land to its nonprofit counterpart, the group has claimed that the park is a non-profit establishment and not subject to the new safety tax passed by city officials. The safety tax, if implemented by the city, would collect 50 cents of every entry ticket sold on $40 adult tickets and $28 children’s tickets.
The theme park pulls in an estimated 1.4 million visitors a year, which, when the safety tax was imposed, means the company would owe the city of Williamstown approximately $700,000.
Ark Encounter has, up to this point, identified themselves legally as a for-profit business in order to receive a number of tax incentives from the city. When city officials voted to impose the 50-cent safety tax, the theme-park argued that the property should be exempt because they run a non-profit ministry.
Hmmm. The land. They sold only the land to the non-profit, and presumably run the machinery at a profit. They pay rent? Only the land is non-profit, not the stuff on it. I don’t know the underlying rationale for the safety tax. Presumably if you tax people, the public good should somehow benefit. Maybe calling it a safety tax was a bad idea. Maybe it should have been called, “We know we’re pissing you off but the city needs the money from somewhere” tax.
Our host didn’t include the link to the original story.
There isn’t anything in the original Herald-Leader which suggests that only the land, and not the property on it, was sold; Mr Hayes may have been misled by poor prose in the story you read.
The Herald-Leader original spelled out, briefly, the underlying rationale for the safety tax.
A prelude to reality, the famed Ark Park is doomed as are the town and state that invested in it with tax breaks and other gifts that cost said state and town money. Ken Ham is yet another religious flim flam man, imported from Australia no less. Usually people like Ham have an escape planned when the whole scheme goes south, back to Aussie perhaps? We should be that lucky.