[PAA-Discuss] Jeb Bush Signs Tax-Exempt Law for Bible Theme Park

[Sarah Gonzales]

Wow - perhaps if we post a sculpture of a biblical manuscript on the  
front of our home, Rounder Graphics (my husband's home business)  
could receive tax free status!

UNBELIEVABLE!

<snip>
Publisher: Religion News Service
By: J. Edward Mendez
First published: June 21, 2006
http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/newsletters/article.cfm?id=4444

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has signed into law a bill that would grant  
theme parks that display, exhibit, illustrate and interpret biblical  
manuscripts the same tax-exempt status as museums.

The law is the product of a four-year legal battle involving the Holy  
Land Experience, a live-action biblical museum in Orlando, developed  
by Zion's Hope, a nonprofit Christian ministry that oversaw it for  
its first four years.

Orange County Property Appraiser Bill Donegan wanted the park to pay  
almost $1 million in back taxes since 2001, when it opened. Donegan  
refused to give it full tax exemption because he questioned the  
purpose of the museum.

"I think Holy Land itself is religious, but I'm not convinced that it  
serves a religious purpose like a church. I guess we're going to have  
to find out the definition of a church. When you charge $30 for  
admission, is that a church?" Bill Donegan told the Associated Press.

Last year an Orange County Circuit Court ruled that the entire park  
couldn't be taxed because it is used predominantly for religious  
purposes, but Donegan appealed the decision.

Bush signed the bill, sponsored by State Sen. Daniel Webster, on  
Friday (June 16). Donegan then backed off from the legal fight.

"We're delighted for that, we don't want to dwell on the past. I hope  
that we can develop a good relationship with (Mr.) Donegan," said Dan  
Hayden, interim president for the Holy Land Experience.

Guests of the Holy Land Experience walk through a 15-acre walled city  
that depicts Israel during the life of Jesus. There are geographical  
replicas of historical sites and theatrical renditions of biblical  
events. Most notably, the park is home to a scriptorium where the  
oldest artifact is an approximately 4,350-year-old votive nail on  
which ancient Babylonian worshippers scribbled prayers to their gods.

The new law was a victory for Liberty Counsel, a national religious  
law firm that offered free legal assistance to the Holy Land Experience.

"Orange County sought to impose its own view of religious  
activities," said Mathew Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty  
Counsel. "And had it won, every religious ministry would be subject  
to the changing views of county officials searching for more tax  
revenue."