Hovind could easily have paid a few dollars for a building permit instead of spending thousands on a legal fight to exempt the ministry. He could easily have registered his ministry as a 501c non-profit with the IRS, and avoided costly legal issues. He could have easily withheld SS, medicare, and income taxes from what he paid those working for him as employees, instead of leaving the payment of these taxes up to those hired as contractors, and avoided tax evasion charges.
Hovind is only charged with violating BS Big Brother laws, not of lying, stealing, etc. Hovind is an eccentric man who really believes that God's business is not the State's business, and he's willing to fight for it.