Federal judge strikes down sales tax-free Bible purchases

<p>A federal judge has struck down a decades-old state law that allowed sales tax-free Bible purchases.</p><p>The law, which was created in 1971, was struck down because it treated some religious and philosophical works more favorably than others, ruled U.S. District Court Judge Richard Story.</p><p>Story ruled on Monday that the "unique and preferential treatment the state provides to 'religious' literature raises serious constitutional concerns."</p><p>He cited a 1984 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said laws that permit the government to discriminate on "the basis of the content of the message cannot be tolerated."</p><p>The law exempted from sales tax "Holy Bibles, testaments and similar books commonly recognized as being Holy Scripture."</p><p>It exempted purchases of works on Christianity and Judiasm. In past years, the state revenue department also suspended the sales tax for purchases of the Quran, the holy book of Islam.</p><p>The law also exempted taking sales tax from any purchase of a religious paper "when the paper is owned and operated by religious institutions and denominations."</p><p>The exemption dated back to the 1950s when Gov. Ernest Vandiver issued an executive order suspending the sales tax. Gov. Lester Maddox issued a similar order in 1970 and the Legislature approved it in 1971.</p><p>In November, the law was challenged by retired librarian Thomas Budlong and Candace Apple, the owner of Phoenix and Dragon _ a Sandy Springs bookstore that specializes in the sale of metaphysical, religious and spiritual books.</p><p>Apple said Tuesday she did not file the lawsuit because she thought Bibles should be taxed.</p><p>"It just shouldn't get preferential treatment," she said. "Books concerning life and death, good and evil, even if they are not of a specific religious orientation, should qualify as books in the same category of the Scriptures. They are being used for the same purpose _ to try and lead a better life."</p><p>But Sadie Fields, state chairman of the Christian Coalition of Georgia, denounced the decision.</p><p>"It does not reflect the will of the people in Georgia. I think it's an outrage," she said. "I don't see any comparison between Scripture and some metaphyscial nonsense."</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x1cdc2d8)</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2006/2/130407