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Super-Sized Subsidies

November 8, 2014

The local Super Bowl Host Committee shoveled out about $17 million for the weeklong Super Bowl party in Phoenix and Glendale. The private sector, including the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and the Thunderbirds charity funded over 80 percent of these Super expenses.

While I’m not sure what was in it for the Yavapai Nation or what is charitable about the Super Bowl, its good that private sources anted up. Those of us who count ourselves fortunate just to afford satellite TV would rather pay for an occasional pizza delivery than subsidize people who can shell out as much as $20,000 for a ticket to the Super Bowl.

But alas, arguing their interests coincide with everybody else’s, some are lobbying to have the legislature make taxpayers bear more of the expense of bringing the Super Bowl back to Phoenix in 2012. The chairman of the host committee said in a T.V. interview last week To remain competitive, were going to have to come up with more public funding. Luckily, state government is in its own financial bind, so resistance to Super-sized subsidies is likely to be high.

Arizona taxpayers were told that they were already doing what it took to host the Super Bowl when they agreed to fund the University of Phoenix stadium in the first place. Now were being told that the car rental and hotel taxes that push up the costs of doing business and visiting here year-round aren’t enough. Maybe its time taxpayers throw the red flag and demand a replay.

Dr. Schlomach is the director of the Center for Economic Prosperity at the Goldwater Institute.

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