Alaska Court Upholds Tax Exemption For Church-Owned Teacher Housing

In 2006, the Alaska legislature passed HB 334 which, among other things, extended local property tax exemptions to "the residence of an educator in a private religious or parochial school." Today's Anchorage Times reports that in a decision handed down on Thursday, an Alaska Superior Court judge upheld the constitutionality of the law. At issue was the exempt status of Anchorage Baptist Temple's housing for teachers. The court said that the exemption, as written, does not discriminate in favor of religion, because under the law both religious and non-profit secular schools can obtain exemptions by proving the same facts. The court left open the possibility of a further challenge if the law is administered in a way that favors religious organizations. (See prior related posting.)