Atlanta, USA - Acting on behalf of the owner of a metaphysical bookstore, the American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit arguing that a Georgia law exempting only the Bible from sales taxes is discriminatory and should be extended to all publications dealing with the meaning of life.
"If they're not taxing someone's holy scriptures, they shouldn't be taxing anyone's," said Candace Apple, who owns the Phoenix and Dragon Bookstore in the Atlanta suburb of Sandy Springs. "I'm not willing to stand at the counter and tell someone, 'Oh sorry, your religion is wrong.' "
Ms. Apple and Thomas Budlong, former president of the Georgia Library Association, sued Georgia revenue commissioner Bart Graham in federal court Monday, arguing the tax break is unconstitutional and should be suspended until the 1950s-era law can be reconsidered by state lawmakers.
Mr. Graham had no comment with litigation pending, Revenue Department spokesman Charles Willey said Tuesday.
The law exempts from sales taxes the Bible as well as "similar books commonly recognized as being Holy Scripture regardless of by or to whom sold."
Ms. Apple argues that the phrasing is too vague to be restricted to Judeo-Christian publications, or even to books reflecting major religions.
"What about A Witches' Bible?" Ms. Apple said, referring to a book she sells for Wiccans, practitioners of a polytheistic religion.
"There's nothing wrong with exempting the Bible, but they need to broaden the law for it to be constitutional," said Mr. Budlong's attorney Maggie Garrett, with the ACLU's Atlanta office.
Ms. Apple said that defining which books would fall into a broader category could turn out to be impossible, so the easiest way might be to eliminate the break.
Similar exemption laws have recently been struck down in Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and the Carolinas, Ms. Garrett said.