Paul Allen and WA Gov. Gary Locke "rejected proposals
by legislative negotiators yesterday to pay for a new
football stadium without a controversial logo tax,"
according to Ed Penhale of the SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER.
WA Rep. Steve Van Luven's compromise proposals would require
Allen to contribute more personal funds toward the project,
but Allen's reps said Allen "would not contribute any more"
than the $100M he has already committed to the $425M stadium
project. Gov. Locke also said he "would not accept any
general taxpayer subsidy larger than the sales tax credit
already approved by the Senate." Locke: "We will not take
dollars from education to pay for professional sports."
Locke and Allen say the logo tax, which would put a retail
tax on sports logo goods, "is more fair because it would
narrowly target sports fans." Both Locke and Allen are
looking for House action on the bill this week. The
Coalition Against Unfair Stadium Taxes (CAUST), consisting
of pro sports leagues, Nike and other retailers and
manufacturers of sports logo merchandise, said the WA
Legislature should "look beyond the sports tax. ... to other
funding mechanisms that have built other new sports stadiums
around the country" (SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, 4/15).
