Sunday, November 11, 2012

The "Bucks Tax"

Some sports-pundit was yammering on TMJ the other night that 'if the Bucks were not "supported" by Milwaukee (that is, if taxpayers don't cough up mega-millions for a new arena), they would leave and the NBA will never grant another franchise to the town'.

That's an interesting line of thinking, no?

"Support" = "Spend Money on Them."  To the tune of a couple hundred million dollars.

The Metro Milwaukee Chamber of Commerce is leading the charge for a new tax.  This is the same bunch which supposedly favors small government and tax-reduction, right?  The same bunch which tells us that taxation reduces economic activity, right?  And that Governments should stick to the essentials, right?

I have searched every word of the Wisconsin Constitution and cannot lay my fingers on the passage which mandates an "arena tax."  Education?  Yup.  Justice?  Yup.  Documents and records?  Yup.

Professional sports support?

Nope.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

How is this different from giving tax breaks to any other company to relocate to or remain in the state? It's about the jobs, y'know.

Dan said...

What new jobs will be created with a new arena?
Will a new arena create more jobs in the downtown area?
If the arena is that important, then maybe some business owners will voluntarily put up some money.

Anonymous said...

Seriously, Dan, a new arena won't create new jobs like in construction or retail?

Don't ever comment here again!

Dad29 said...

...and after the construction is over with?

For that matter, if "retail" is so damn lucrative near the existing arena, why aren't there more retailers (read: booze and burger joints) near it now?

Hmmmmmm?

Aged parent said...

Anon's reply to Dan was a bit, shall we say, unthinking. Dad29 is perfectly right: what happens when the construction in over? Nothing.

What new jobs - permanent jobs - did Miller Park give to Milwaukee? Three? Five? Any?

I have long said that when it comes to discussing the homosexual perversion people start to lose their marbles. I will have to amend that, and add sports arenas.

Anonymous said...

https://umdrive.memphis.edu/casanto/www/source/Santo_JUA_27_2.pdf

The only perversion you have, aged parent, is warping the truth. Really, Dad29 was perfectly right? Hardly.