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Morning Roundup: Second Helpings Edition
Fire at 17th and L NW Forces Evacuations
When news broke last week that the Lerner family was witholding rent payments on the new baseball stadium because they claimed it wasn't fully complete, many residents were predictably peeved. But today the Post is reporting that the D.C. Council may take a step that will similarly annoy everyone else who attends Nats games -- they might raise taxes on tickets and concessions to cover the rent shortfall.
The legislation, introduced during one of the last council sessions before the summer recess, would tack an additional 5 percent tax on the existing 10 percent tax charged on tickets and concessions. The additional tax would help make up for the $3.5 million in rent the Lerner family has refused to pay and the lower-than-expected tax draws due to low attendance.
Memo to all sides -- no one is going to come out of this little battle a winner. Yes, the Lerners say they're just sticking to the letter of the contract they signed with the city, but at the expense of what little goodwill they have left with the elected officials that voted to allow the $611 million stadium to be built. And yes, the city has every right to squeeze money out of the franchise (especially when the franchise is being stingy by, say, witholding rent and demanding $100,000 a day payments from the city until the stadium is "finished"), but a tax increase like this might end up driving more people away from games and decrease the current tax revenues even further. So what will we end up with? A crappy team with even fewer fans. Good times!
So, Ted, pay the city its rent. Vince, get your council colleagues to drop this idea of a tax increase on tickets and concessions. We're all stuck with the team and the stadium, so starting little hissy fights over things neither of us will win won't get anyone anywhere.
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This tax increase is nothing more than a Catania hissy fit. Ghandi's office has said Catania's numbers are wrong and he doesn't know what he's talking about. Catania says "whatever" and moves forward with a bill that will never see the light of day since it will die in Jack Evans committee.
If the city didn't fulfill the terms of the "ready, fire, aim" contract that they signed, I guess the Lerners have the right to hammer them. But the city should be ready to pounce when the Lerners don't hold up fulfill any of their contractual obligations.
If you kill my dog, I'ma slay your cat,
HR
I am starting to hate these owners as much as I hate Peter Angelos.
Who are these idiots?
terrific, just terrific.
at this rate, we are guaranteed to have the world's largest outdoor church, and nothing more. maybe we can sell it to the vatican and have the pope come back every other week for mass...
I can't beleive these dirtbags tried to make the city pay for the player's uniforms. They owe back rent on a free stadium and were allowed to use the old offices rent free until the new ones were complete. A nice little gesture from DC would be to cut the power right before a night game.
So will the tax be repealed in the event that the rent is paid?
Bueller? Bueller?
I gree with Cantina that if the stadium was substantially finished and the Nationals succeed in fining the City, that I get a rebate on each ticket I purchased to date.
I think By is onto something here. In 2006 Virginia Commonwealth Senator Kenneth Stolle came up with the idea of increasing the gasoline tax, but making it refundable if you mailed your receipts back to the Department of Motor Vehicles every six months.
We could do the same thing here. Add a 50% tax on the ticket prices, but you get it back if you send in your ticket stubs with your D40 income tax return. Minor impact on DC residents, makes the suburbanites and tax evaders pay, and supplements the income of scalpers. The only downside is it makes the City look like it's run by a bunch of petty jerks, but they've been (accurately) accused of worse before.
Well said Martin. I think that's a well measured take - unlike say, Thomas Boswell, who goes out of his way to scream "ALL IS WELL"
That's ok, i noticed that our boycott of Nats games the other day is working... oh, wait, that wasn't a boycot, that was regular Nats attendance.
Lerner is such a prick he's making Dan Snyder look good.
Another %5 tax -- isn't watching this team in person punishment enough for fans?
For what it's worth, Tom Sherwood reported that the penalties that the team is demanding are capped at $5 million by the contract. Since it's been more than 50 days since opening day, the penalties have already reached that cap and can't go up any more.
I still think Ted and his idiot son deserve a good old fashion punch in the dick, but it should be known that it'll be a $5 million quality junk-punch and not a penny more.
Imgoph: I'd suggest we open it to church parking if I had faith that The Lord would move worshipers to park in the infield instead of the intersections.
good one, downtown rez.