Ben & Jerry's is now hiring!

BEN & JERRY’S IS NOW HIRING!: A new tax break given to the Anchorage Baptist Temple by the Senate Finance Committee on Friday opens the door for hundreds of new "minsters" or religious "educators" to escape rising property taxes in Anchorage. Masterminded by state senate president Ben Stevens, a floor amendment to SCS CSHB 334(FIN) totally exempts all property taxes levied on the private residence of "an educator in a private religious or parochial school’ as well as that of a "minister" who is "ordained, commissioned, or licensed as a minister according to the standards of the religious organization for its ministers; and employed by the religious organization to carry out a ministry of that religious organization."

To qualify, the residential property must be still be owned by the religious organization, but no limits are set on the employment or the numbers of "educators" or "ministers" a congregation may hire or ordain in order to get the new tax break. On its face, the law allows ABT to provide tax free housing for as many as two dozen "teachers" or "ministers". Hundreds of other potential "educators" or religious "ministers" could also get the same the same tax break by simply hiring on with their favorite church as "educators" or by serving their congregtation as "ordained, commissioned, or licensed" ministers.

The Daily News reported recently that the latest tax break is the product of a lot of calls from Glenn Clary, a pastor at the Anchorage Baptist Temple. Clary is also treasurer of the Alaska Republican Party. For a full version of the News article, go to

http://www.adn.com/news/government/legislature/story/7703788p-7614812c.html

With the new tax break, the bill has passed the senate and is headed to the House for concurrence before the legislative session ends this week.