PA State Sen. James Gerlach (R) has proposed an idea in
which the state would provide one-third of the money to
build four new stadiums and be repaid with receipts from a
"stadium-use tax" on players, fans, owners and officials,
according to Ken Dilanian of the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER.
Gerlach: "It ought to be the users who pay for the stadiums.
To provide a handout ... is not palatable to most
Pennsylvanians." Senate research office calculations show
the rates would generate $40.6M per year, "more than enough
to cover" the $40M annual debt payments on the $300M PA Gov.
Tom Ridge wants to provide the Eagles, Phillies, Steelers
and Pirates for new stadiums. The tax takes into account
45,000-seat baseball stadiums and 65,000-seat football
stadiums, with an average attendance of 80% capacity. The
largest portion of the tax would come from club seats and
luxury boxes, which "would be hit with" a 20% fee. Also,
each player would be taxed $200 per game, each official $25
per game and owners would pay a $1 per game tax on each
full-time stadium employee. Ridge spokesperson Tim Reeves
said that the governor had not looked at the details of the
proposal and "had no position on it" (INQUIRER, 12/21).
PENS ON HOT SEAT: The Public Auditorium Authority in
Pittsburgh voted Friday "to replace the backs of the pricey
club seats that have pinched Penguins fans since their
installation" in '97, according to a report in the
Pittsburgh TRIBUNE-REVIEW. The work will take place on the
1,500 seats at Civic Arena over one weekend between now and
the end of January. The authority has been "withholding"
$208,000 it owes the team since March, "insisting the team
first replace the seat backs" (TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 12/19).
