INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Supreme Court won’t take up a case involving an Indianapolis man who tried to use the state’s religious objections law as a valid defense for not paying his state taxes.
The court had voted unanimously Monday to let stand an appellate court’s January decision, which ruled that 41-year-old Rodney Tyms-Bey is still required to pay his taxes despite his argument that doing so is a burden on his religion.
Tyms-Bey had been charged with three counts of felony tax evasion in 2014. The state says he fraudulently used tax credits and owes more than $1,000 in back taxes.
He used a clause in Indiana’s 2015 Religious Freedom Restoration Act that allows individuals to cite the law as a defense in legal proceedings.