The religious group behind the proposed Ark Encounter biblical theme park in Kentucky has hit back against what it calls ‘blatant lies and misinformation’ with a high profile billboard campaign.
Answers in Genesis is erecting a series of billboards in Kentucky along with a digital billboard sited in New York’s Times Square.
The billboard message reads: "To all our intolerant liberal friends, thank god you can’t sink this ship."
"The most common myth is that the Ark Encounter is being built using tax dollars. This is utterly untrue. No unwilling taxpayers will see their tax dollars used to build the Ark. The money involved from the Kentucky Tourism tax incentive only concerns sales tax that will be collected from people who voluntarily visit the completed Ark when it is fully operational," AiG said on its website.
"With excellent attendance and the generation of tourism dollars for Kentucky, Ark Encounter might have the opportunity to have a portion of the sales tax it collects refunded. This is the same incentive that is given to a variety of tourist attractions that have been built in Kentucky," it said.
However Kentucky tourism, arts and heritage secretary Bob Stewart yesterday informed AiG that the tax incentives have now been scrapped.
"It is readily apparent that the project has evolved from a tourism attraction to an extension of AiG’s ministry that will no longer permit the Commonwealth to grant the project tourism development incentives," Stewart wrote in a letter to the group.
"We expect the project to continue, but this will be a huge financial loss to the organization," said Mike Johnson, a legal advisor for AiG.
The Ark Encounter, due to open in 2016, includes a full-size replica of the Ark.
Answers in Genesis also operates the Creation Museum, located near Cincinnati.
