The answers to C.A.S.T.’s inquiry, unsurprisingly, flesh out a number of concerns across our city that could be eased by tax revenue generated from, say, a sin tax. Think pothole repair, schools investments, safety force increases, more pothole repair, urban farming, homeless shelter improvements, and so on. And yet more pothole repair.
The matter will be up for a vote in May. The sin tax will come in the form of Issue 7 on the ballot. C.A.S.T.’s main platform point remains a demand for greater transparency in the negotiations between the city and county and the three major sports teams here. As C.A.S.T. supporters Peter Pattakos and Brian Cummins (a Cleveland City Councilman) said during a February debate at Sterle’s Country House, a defeat at the polls in May could prompt more open discussion about how to finance the stadium repair obligations in Cleveland.
The sin tax, originally enacted in 1990 and extended for 20 years in 1995, does not expire until 2015.
“Our day at the Market confirms that citizens are fed up with corporate welfare for billionaires in a County that can’t meet the basic needs of its residents,” says C.A.S.T. campaign manager Erin McCardle. “We continue to find that when people take a few moments to consider the facts behind the proposed Sin Tax, they are overwhelmingly opposed to it. We hope they are as enthusiastic about getting to the polls on May 6 to reject Issue 7 for transparency and a better deal with Cleveland’s pro sports owners.”
Our November 2012 feature presents an in-depth look at Cleveland Browns Stadium financing, which is little more than a “liability” for the city, as one councilman told us.
Here’s the C.A.S.T. ad:
This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 1, 2014.
The pro-tax forces are cranking out the same tired message from years past….a reminder on how they believe that stupid smiley faces and shoving onto the stage the appearance that YOU are an A-list celebrity by attending pro sports events can easily squelch real questions about collecting a stash of “free” cash for billionaire team owners….who are certainly repulsed by anything that sounds like a “tax-n-spend” policy geared to assist anyone truly struggling to make end’s meet on a daily basis.
Tax the tickets. All smokers and all drinkers do not go to games at these facilities. Why pay for something that we do not benefit from?
The sin tax should not be renewed.
It wouldn’t be so bad…if they would also “swap” out some other taxes, sort of an equitable balance. Eliminating other taxes to enable these taxes would be the only way we can take this bitter pill. Oh, and also, if they can guarantee a winning season. If not, we get our money back!
This issue is the absurdity of absurdities. Let me get this straight: the
purpose of the Sin Tax is to gouge those who purchase alcohol and cigarettes
not because anyone is trying to discourage consumption but rather so the
County can use that money to pay for sports stadiums that do not produce
anything but a fleeting moment witnessing the passing of a football, the
dribbling of a basketball and the throwing of a baseball so that such a minute
tidbit of diversion can be enjoyed by all. The stupidity of this proposition is
enough to make your head spin even though the spin doctors advocating
passage of this nonsense are already doing a pretty good job of hypnotizing
the voters to actually consider supporting it. At least the Robber Barons
of the previous centuries provided something tangible such as oil, steel,
railroads etcetera. These team owners do not even provide one tangible thing
that could ever be considered with the term “value added.” Almost everyone
discusses this “enterprise” as though it is the same thing as industry {which
it is not}. The price of admission is essentially a voluntary tax paid by those
who can afford it to pay those who don’t need it. If this isn’t a transfer of
wealth I don’t know what is.
The real outrage here is the fact that taxes on alcohol and cigarettes will
not be used to aid in the reduction of addiction {hence the reference to “sin”}
but rather to stuff the pockets of all three teams who could easily afford to
pay for the repairs themselves. The vote was rammed through the last time
{under somewhat suspicious circumstances} and hear we go again. But this
time…not so fast!!! We the voters of Cuyahoga County are going to fight the
proponents on this one and we don’t care if the teams up and go somewhere
else {please see my views on entertainment below} because quite frankly there
are simply more important things than sports and the unearned money that
comes with it. Those in public office who are too stupid and lazy to find other
ways to grow a major American city need to resign and leave their self-seeking
political ambitions on the scrapheap of history. Don’t ever let it be said that
this was time when the tide ran out on Cuyahoga County but rather was the
time when the voters rose up to welcome the rising tide of change and rebuked
this pathetic paradigm our previous elected leaders embraced.
Let the battle be joined.
And now to the real underlying issue at hand:
One of the most disturbing facts about our capitalist nation is the
misappropriation of funds directed to the salaries of entertainers.
Everyone should agree that the value an athlete, movie star, talk-show host,
team-owner, etcetera brings to the average citizen is very small. Granted,
they do offer a minuscule of diversion from our daily trials and
tribulations as did the jesters in the king’s court during the middle ages.
But to allow these entertainers to horde such great amounts of wealth at the
expense of more benevolent societal programs is unacceptable.
They do not provide a product or a service so why are they rewarded as such?
Our society is also subjected to the “profound wisdom” of these people
because it equates wealth with influence. Perhaps a solution to this
problem and a alternative to defeated school levies, crumbling
infrastructures, as well as all the programs established to help feed,
clothe and shelter those who cannot help themselves would be to tax this
undeserved wealth. Entertainers could keep 1% of the gross earnings reaped
from their endeavor and 99% could be deposited into the public coffers.
The old ideas of the redistribution of wealth have failed, and it is time to
adapt to modern-day preferences. People put their money into entertainment
above everything else; isn’t it time to tap that wealth? Does anyone think
this will reduce the quality of entertainment? It seems to me that when
entertainers received less income, the quality was much higher.
Except, of course, we can’t.
The authorizing legislation, which allowed the County to put it on the ballot, mandates it can only be used for repair or debt service of stadiums.
If Pattakos wants to deliver another revenue stream worth $260 million over 20 years — all the better.
Roads, the roads in this city are the worst in the country.
Only an absolute idiot would think that this sin tax is a good idea. Sadly, all the people who run our sports teams in Cleveland think the sin tax would be a good idea. Meanwhile, with the #4 pick in the draft, the Cleveland Browns draft a squirrel because they “like his energy”
I’d win like 10 championships for the city.