ACLU of Alaska Sues Over Religious Tax Exemption
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 12, 2006
CONTACT: Michael
Macleod-Ball
(907) 258-0044 ext. 103 - office
(907) 230-0665 - cell
ANCHORAGE --The ACLU of Alaska and two Anchorage residents today filed suit against the State of Alaska to overturn a bill enacted earlier this year that would provide a special property tax exemption for housing for religious teachers. The provision was enacted as part of HB 334,which was signed into law in late May by Governor Murkowski. Alaska law already provided a tax exemption for church property used for exclusively religious purposes, but the new law brought church-owned housing for its religious teachers under the exemption.
"Both the U. S. and Alaska Constitutions bar the government from showing favoritism for one religion over another - or for religion generally over non-religion," declared Michael W. Macleod-Ball, the ACLU of Alaska's Executive Director. "This legislation has the impermissible effect of not just favoring religion generally - but of helping one particular Anchorage religious institution over all others. That's wrong, that's unfair, and that's unconstitutional."
Macleod-Ball cited testimony offered to the Legislature on SB 193 - the companion bill to HB 334 - showing that the bill was intended to provide a direct benefit to the Anchorage Baptist Temple. ABT is one of the few religious institutions in the state that would benefit from the new law. In a campaign uncharacteristic of charitable entities generally, ABT and its pastor lobbied vigorously for the law - and urged its members to call their legislators to ensure its passage as the regular session wound down.
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