2008 House Bill 5613: Authorize new local property and recreation taxes

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Introduced by Rep. Michael Sak (D) on January 16, 2008, to authorize the creation of “regional infrastructure authorities” empowered to impose new property taxes and levy ticket-taxes on recreational activities in the region, and then use the money to pay for mass transit, local road construction and other projects that benefit the “commerce centers” proposed by Senate Bill 93 and House Bill 4105.
- Referred to the House Transportation Committee on January 16, 2008.

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1) We Should Not Allow by Anonymous Citizen on January 30, 2008
any New Taxes. Period.
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2) Is this a JOKE! by Anonymous Citizen on January 29, 2008
The whole state is a disaster area and all these jokers can do it figure out how to raise MORE taxes? I am damn glad I got out of that ShLt hole of a state. GOOD LUCK!
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3) Taxing the Big House by Anonymous Citizen on January 29, 2008
HB 5613 would allow local governments to combine to ask local voters to slap taxes of 4 to 6 per cent on sports and entertainment tickets. This scheme is obviously of value only in a few places: where there is a high-volume sports stadium or concert hall.

The big stadiums are the cash cows here. If Ann Arbor joins with Washtenaw County or another city to create one of these taxing authorities, it could take well over a million dollars a year out of U of M Stadium from football fans alone. Then there's basketball, hockey, baseball, concerts, and everything else. The same is true of East Lansing and Spartan Stadium.

Local voters are likely to view these taxes as free money from out-of-town victims, and will likely approve these taxes.

Similar schemes could also tax attendees at the Van Andel Arena, the Palace of Auburn Hills, Michigan International Speedway, Ford Field, Tiger Stadium, the Belle Isle auto race and hydroplane race, and the Henry Ford, and concert and orchestra halls around the state. Beneficiaries would be local road commissions, city governments, and the bus drivers' unions.

We should not allow provincial interests in college towns and big cities to take money out of the tourism, sports, entertainment and cultural sectors of the whole state economy.

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