Alaska Supreme Court contemplates the limits of tax exemptions for religious camps

The five members of Alaska’s highest court heard arguments last Thursday in a long-running dispute between the operators of a Christian camp and the Fairbanks North Star Borough about whether or not the camp qualifies for an exemption from local property taxes.

Though the dispute involves only a single camp in Fairbanks, the justices’ ruling could redraw the limits that decide when religious groups’ operations qualify for tax exemptions in Alaska.

In court, an attorney representing the borough and one representing the camp’s operator, Victory Ministries of Alaska, said the key question is whether Camp Li-Wa was used exclusively for charitable purposes during 2021.

The borough and Victory Ministries disagree on other years’ taxes, but only one dispute was escalated to the Supreme Court