Stupid Legislation

Why is it that a number of Kentucky state legislators just can’t grasp the idea of separation of church and state and are equally clueless about why the Kentucky Revenue Code is so screwed up?

The latest example is some pre-filed legislation by Tommy Thompson, Democrat from Owensboro.

BR 128 - Representative Tommy Thompson (12/04/06)

AN ACT relating to sales and use tax. Amend KRS 139.495 to exempt from sales and use tax sales of prepared food if sold by churches for fund-raising activities; amend KRS 139.496 to conform; EFFECTIVE August 1, 2007.

Now I can salute this bill if it were a tax exemption for any charitable organization, 501(c) (3), where the proceeds of the sale went to defined charitable activity, for example providing meals to the homeless.

But this little gem doesn’t say anything like that. The proceeds from the sale could be used to build a basketball court or swimming pool for the faithful or may be spent on a love offering to the minister of a new Cadillac.

If you want an example of why Kentucky state government doesn’t have sufficient funding to pay for things like education or a real effort to shut down plague meth labs this is it. The tax code is full of crap like this.