Christian theme park wants tax-exempt status

Tocci55 I don't really agree with you. I say that Religious organizations should be taxed exempt because most of them run solely on donations. My mother has a Christian Ministry and it runs on donations.... the ministry which helps out hundreds in our community could NOT survive if it had to pay taxes on everything. They do have to pay taxes on somethings, not everything is tax exempt. Yes taxes support the community, but so do the FREE services they provide. They don't charge for the services they provide that SUPPORT the community so when someone does deside to give a donation I personally do not believe the organization should have to pay for it.

As for the park...they to me, since they are charging to get in should definitely NOT be tax exempt. They are not providing the community with a service they are trying to make money. That is NOT a non-profit organization if you ask me.

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There is NoLimit when it comes to Roller Coasters

Should this be called a 'Christian theme' park?  Somehow I don't see The Christian Theme (Salvation through Jesus Christ) having much to do with entertainment.  Beware of mixtures of God and 'mammon' (money)!

On the lighter side ...

Does this 'park' have rides?  Anyone want to get creative with some coaster themes or names?

 

Well, if they charge admission, regardless, it is a capitalistic enterprise.  Thus, it should be taxed.  And if someone opens up Hannukah Harry's World of High Rides and charges admission that constitutes a business and thus should be taxed.  Religion should not be used in name solely.  If it is a place of worship, or a ministry as some of you have spoken of, then it should be exempt.  But a theme park, no.  Should Disney, Old Town, Universal, BGT, and Sea World be tax-exempt?  No, they are capitalistic enterprises and thus should be taxed as such.  This theme park is just that: a theme park, and should be treated as such.
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If they wanted to be non-taxable as a religious enterprise, maybe they should stop charging admission and only accept "donations".  Seriously, this is an enormous load of ****.  I mean, can I claim that my business cannot be taxed just because I run it so poorly that it turns out to be a "non-profit" venture?  I understand that's not their argument, but it seems equally ridiculous to me...as far as I understand, there are NO "rides" and even less "entertainment".  On the lighter side, I did see my first billboard for the place last week in O-town.  Gotta be the lamest gig EVER!  The only part of Jerusalem they should have copied would be the Wailing Wall - they could cry over their sorry "enterprise"...
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Mikerose said "Once again we see that money truely fuel religion. Makes you stop and think."

Gotta disagree on that one.

Money truely fuels business (as it should) or those out to "make a quick buck". Giving those who run this "Holy Land" the bennifit of the doubt, I will classify them into the "business" category (not with certain TV evangalists... you know, the ones who say "Money is evil, so send me all your so you can be 'saved'," category of greedy SOB's).

Unfortunately, some who have decided to take the "get rich quick" path have decided the easiest way to separate people from their money is to do it through the guise of the Church. Unfortunately when you have a story of one church doing something shady with the cash flow or 1000 churches not, which do you think will get the more coverages in anything more than the local paper?

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"I wasn't always this cynical, but then I started kindergarden..."

They're adding $16 million worth of improvements next year and are griping about a $28k tax? I don't understand them at all.
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I have visited HLE Orlando, and it is a great place to spend a day. I really don't think that I'd consider the place a business, but I don't think that I'd consider it a non-profit either. HLE has no rides, it is all shows and displays. It looks like they have put a ton of work into the place, and their shows and displays are nothing short of amazing. With the wacko scam artist "non-profit" charities that can get tax exempt status, I don't think it would be an atrocity if this place got it as well, because I really don't think that anyone is making any kind of huge profit off of this with the millions that they put into this place.

Why don't they just call it a 'museum' and drop the theme park label?  A 'museum' label fits if the purpose is educational, while the 'theme park' label implies entertainment.  Any similarities to the 'Shepherd of the Hills' complex in Eureka Springs, Arkansas?  Is that a non-profit?