Evangelist arrested on tax evasion

[blutoski]

Link: Evangelist arrested on tax evasion (http://pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060713/NEWS01/60713013)

Excerpt:
U.S. Magistrate Judge Miles Davis handed down the indictment against Kent Hovind, who operated a creationist theme park Dinosaur Adventure Land, off Old Palafox Road.

Blutoskitorial:
Perhaps his returns were too irreducibly complex to calculate and submit.

[Eos of the Eons]

Funny how he wants to be tax free like a church, but wants to try to tell people his park is about "science".


Dinosaur Adventure Land is a Theme Park, Science Center, and Museum http://www.dinosauradventureland.com/
Science Center my arse

[blutoski]

Funny how he wants to be tax free like a church, but wants to try to tell people his park is about "science".


http://www.dinosauradventureland.com/
Science Center my arse

Actually, I think it's his personal income tax that was the issue. My understanding from other readings is that he more or less believes that taxation is unconstitutional and refuses to pay on that grounds. He's lost previous appeals. This is the final straw for his case, I think.

[Eos of the Eons]

:D Oh yeah, it was a $50.00 building permit that created problems for the theme park specifically.

[YouBelieveWHAT?]

Be fair Eos - there's far more science in your arse than in his "Theme Park" :)

YBW

[blutoski]

Link: Evangelist arrested on tax evasion (http://pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060713/NEWS01/60713013)

Excerpt:


Blutoskitorial:
Perhaps his returns were too irreducibly complex to calculate and submit.


i need to apologise for posting a duplicate thread:
The tax case against Kent Hovind ended (http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=59698)

[ceo_esq]

Funny how he wants to be tax free like a church, but wants to try to tell people his park is about "science".

That distinction doesn't matter from a tax perspective. Nonprofit entities operated for scientific purposes are entitled to the same exemption as nonprofit entities operated for religious purposes; no favoritism there.

[Foster Zygote]

As I read the opening post I just happened to be listening to Birth of the Cool. I wonder if Judge Miles Davis bitched out Hovind the way the more famous Miles Davis used to bitch out his band?

Steven

[Eos of the Eons]

That distinction doesn't matter from a tax perspective. Nonprofit entities operated for scientific purposes are entitled to the same exemption as nonprofit entities operated for religious purposes; no favoritism there.

Really? I thought churches were exempt because they are churches. There are religious exemptions. I work for a non-profit, and we pay taxes, and file a tax return. I don't know of any non-profit entities that "operate for science purposes" that don't have to pay taxes. Please enlighten me.

[ceo_esq]

Really? I thought churches were exempt because they are churches. There are religious exemptions. I work for a non-profit, and we pay taxes, and file a tax return. I don't know of any non-profit entities that "operate for science purposes" that don't have to pay taxes. Please enlighten me.

I should say that I have no idea what the legal or tax status of Dinosaurland (or whatever it's called) is. But what I said earlier is true: under IRC 501(c)(3), a nonprofit organization is eligible for an income tax exemption if it is "organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes, or to foster national or international amateur sports competition". I'm simplifying here, of course - there are some other requirements - but those are the "seven exempt purposes".

Benefiting from this exemption doesn't mean you don't file returns, of course.

[Zep]

FYI, the label "non-profit" in relation to a business entity is perhaps misleading. It means merely that any profits made are not distributed to shareholders, but are ploughed back into the business...purportedly to further its stated aims.

[Meffy]

I want to know more about this Old Palaeofox Road where the dinosaur park is (the article misspells it but I know what it must really be). Are there neanderskunks there too?

[blutoski]

I want to know more about this Old Palaeofox Road where the dinosaur park is (the article misspells it but I know what it must really be). Are there neanderskunks there too?

Didn't he buy that old dinosaur theme park? The one that was built in the '60s? (featured in Pee-Wee's Big Adventure)

[Meffy]

Dunno, haven't seen Mr. Reubens' movie or TV program. I have always wondered why a evangelist would want a dinosaur-themed tourist attraction though.

Probably doesn't have any neanderskunks. Exhibit makers usually run out of prehistoric critters before arriving at my forebears. Or fore-mephits rather.

[blutoski]

Dunno, haven't seen Mr. Reubens' movie or TV program. I have always wondered why a evangelist would want a dinosaur-themed tourist attraction though.

He's retrofitted the dioramas to include people, consistent with the claim that the earth is only 6,000 years old, and that the fossilized remains of dinosaurs are antediluvian animals who died during the Genesis flood.

It's a Creation Science museum.

[Meffy]

Ooog. =>_<=

*fallsover*

(twitching)

[Foster Zygote]

He's retrofitted the dioramas to include people, consistent with the claim that the earth is only 6,000 years old, and that the fossilized remains of dinosaurs are antediluvian animals who died during the Genesis flood.

It's a Creation Science museum.

I'll bet he shows episodes of The Flintstones too.

Steven

[grayman]

Didn't he buy that old dinosaur theme park? The one that was built in the '60s? (featured in Pee-Wee's Big Adventure)

I thought that place was in Texas.

[Meffy]

Now I'm confused too. I thought he was fined for evading paying his Texas. :-}

[bjb]

Those dinosaurs are at the Wheel Inn Restaurant in Cabazon, CA:

http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Overview.aspx?RefID=397

[Meffy]

Cooool.

[Zep]

Now I'm confused too. I thought he was fined for evading paying his Texas. :-}You are SO gonna be slapped if you keep that up...

[YouBelieveWHAT?]

In answer to Meffy's question about Neanderskunks, I was going to reply that there's only one in the place.

Then I thought again, and decided to add "and that one gives all skunks (and Christians) a bad name".

YBW

[This Guy]

Really? I thought churches were exempt because they are churches. There are religious exemptions. I work for a non-profit, and we pay taxes, and file a tax return. I don't know of any non-profit entities that "operate for science purposes" that don't have to pay taxes. Please enlighten me.

I'm not sure what category they fell under, but I worked for a non-profit dialysis clinic. They were tax exempt to some point, if not totally. I know that the fact that they would provide services to folks on Medicare or other Government programs, and not charge more than what was covered, and would write off any debts of their patients, (after sending them one bill, and not receiving payment, I believe) was related to the exempt status. I'm not sure if they were totally exempt but I'm pretty sure they were. They did file tax returns though. I believe they had to justify their exempt status on the returns.

I was a technician, so didn't get very involved with the admin stuff. Only to the extent that I had to document some of the things that we did.

The Administrator explained it to me (in brief) once. I just forget what the details were. Been awhile, and I've slept since then ;)

I know that part of the profits they had each year were given out to us as year end bonuses. The rest was spent on research and such, I believe. I'm sure the largest part of the profits went back into the business though. They were always buying up other clinics it seemed. I know we had several studies done by one of our founding Doctors, and had a research branch also. Also there was a camp for kids with kidney failure. Each year kids from around the country would come to spend a couple weeks at the camp. Facilities were set up at the camp to provide their treatments. I believe the company funded most, if not all of that. Was a great place, right up till they outsourced the IT group :confused:

OK, I checked the Web (doh). From their home page (Identifying info bleeped to protect the guilty) -

The Internal Revenue Service charters BLEEP. as a tax-exempt (501.c.3) organization. The Corporation has no members and is organized solely for the welfare of society and not individual profit. Consequently, there are no stockholders or owners. BLEEP is authorized to receive and maintain real and personal property, and to use and apply the whole or any part of the income therefrom and the principal thereof exclusively for charitable, scientific and educational purpose. The Corporation has committed over $100,000,000.00 for research, education and non-profit activities.