DC Council May Up Sales Tax At Nationals Park Due To Unpaid Rent
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| DC Council May Raise Sales Tax At Nationals Park |
The DC Council will "consider tacking on another 5[%] sales tax to tickets and most items purchased at Nationals Park in an effort to close a potential shortfall in revenue needed to pay off the stadium debt," according to Michael Neibauer of the WASHINGTON EXAMINER. DC Council member David Catania Tuesday introduced legislation, which was co-sponsored by seven other council members, that would "boost the gross sales tax charged on Nationals tickets, concessions, merchandise and parking to 15[%]." DC currently charges 10%. Catania claimed that "underwhelming attendance at Nationals' games and the team owners' refusal to pay rent threaten collections for the Ballpark Revenue Fund," which the city created to "pay down the stadium bonds." The Nationals have "refused to pay $3.5[M] in rent, claiming the stadium remains incomplete to this day." The issue "is likely to go to arbitration, delaying rent payments for months at a minimum." Catania: "Their decision not to pay rent is jeopardizing our ability to meet our debt obligation, so we're left with little choice" (WASHINGTON EXAMINER, 7/16). But DC CFO Natwar Gandhi said that Catania's numbers "are faulty and that the fund is able to pay its debts, even if the Nationals do not pay the rent." The debt service for this year is $32M. Gandhi spokesperson David Umansky: "There is no revenue gap. There are ample funds to service the debt." In DC, Robert Pierre notes the council is "about to go on recess until mid-September, so any tax increase probably would not take effect until next season." Nationals officials, who have "maintained that they are following the letter of their contract to the city," yesterday declined comment on the issue (WASHINGTON POST, 7/17).
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