On first blush, the report from the AP sounds great:
Wash. House approves stadium taxes bill
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
OLYMPIA, Wash. -- The state House wants to extend some taxes that paid for professional sports stadiums in Seattle.
But if you read the rest of the article ... well, not so much.
The account is not supposed to be source for a new NBA arena or Husky Stadium.
Essentially, the House has passed a bill that would extend the Safeco and Qwest Field taxes that are supposed to expire when the stadium debts are retired. However, the money would be used for arts programs, housing, and so forth, but NOT, again, NOT, for a revamped KeyArena or Husky Stadium.
It's still possible that the Senate could amend the bill to include the wording they showed us a week or so ago which enables counties to use funds for new arenas, but whether the political climate affords that is anyone's guess.
In other words, this bill hasn't really changed anything, other than to underline that the House members are not willing to put their necks out when it comes to using taxpayer money for new stadiums and arenas.
If this money is used for housing and such, its a real fraud. This money was designed to pay for the stadiums, not fund other parts of government. This is why nobody trusts the govt. If anything, the money should either be retired or my preference - extended to pay for KeyArena renovation/rebuild and UW stadium safety improvements.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100%. It's a classic example of the government getting a taste of a revenue source, then never letting go. While I don't like the idea of using tax money to subsidize professional sports, I like this even less.
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