Judge says Kentucky theme park can hire people based on religious beliefs

[CopyBoy]

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Reuters) A federal judge ruled that developers building a replica of Noah’s Ark for a controversial Kentucky theme park can use religious beliefs as part of their hiring criteria and still retain tax incentives.

Answers in Genesis, the group developing the Ark Encounter theme park, initially received more than $18 million in tax incentives from the state in the summer of 2014.

However, by the end of the year, state officials withdrew the offer, citing concerns that the organization would only hire employees who shared its fundamentalist Christian beliefs.

The nondenominational group, which believes in creationism and runs the Creation Museum in nearby Petersburg, sued the state last February to restore the incentives.

religionnews.com/2016/01/26/judge-tells-kentucky-theme-park-can-hire-people-based-on-religious-beliefs/

 

[SuperLuigi]

People should be able to form their own private contracts in these scenarios without government interference.

 

[AnnArbor]

People should be able to form their own private contracts in these scenarios without government interference.

Sure. As long as they are not also taking the millions of dollars in tax incentives that would also constitute government interference.

 

[Iron_Donkey]

Sure. As long as they are not also taking the millions of dollars in tax incentives that would also constitute government interference.

Unless such incentives would have been given regardless to, say, a six flags, or whatever sort of theme park would bring in a similar amount of money to the area. Governments give tax incentives to attract business all the time, the idea being that the over all taxes and other benefits of attracting shoppers/tourists would outweigh the incentives.

Note that I am not saying this because I agree with Answers in Genesis’s positions on matters related to their theme park - I don’t. But being a religiously based theme park is not in itself enough to disqualify it from the sorts of incentives that would be given to other businesses.

 

[AnnArbor]

Unless such incentives would have been given regardless to, say, a six flags, or whatever sort of theme park would bring in a similar amount of money to the area. Governments give tax incentives to attract business all the time, the idea being that the over all taxes and other benefits of attracting shoppers/tourists would outweigh the incentives.

Note that I am not saying this because I agree with Answers in Genesis’s positions on matters related to their theme park - I don’t. But being a religiously based theme park is not in itself enough to disqualify it from the sorts of incentives that would be given to other businesses.

That was my point – if they are accepting the regular tax incentives that a Six Flags would have received, they should have to follow the same rules as Six Flags. One purpose of tax incentives is to increase local employment – not just for a certain group.