Noah's Ark theme park angling for $18 million in tax breaks

A proposed Noah's Ark theme park is praying for a flood of tax incentives to help get itself off the ground.

Ark Encounter is applying with Kentucky's Tourism Development Finance Authority for inclusion in a program that grants tourist attractions up to a 25 percent rebate on sales tax collected from admissions, concessions and the like, according to The Courier-Journal. As the paper notes, the rebates could total up to $18.25 million over 10 years.

Back in 2010, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear (D) promised about $40 million in tax breaks toward the original $150 million construction plan — which calls for building a full-scale replica of Noah's eponymous ship. But the park failed to raise nearly enough money in time to lock down that financial assistance, prompting it to come back with a second attempt at securing public support.

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The group behind the park, Answers in Genesis, also runs a Creation Museum in Kentucky.