Crain’s Poll Shows People Oppose Tax Subsidies for Sports Stadiums

The proposed entrance to the minor league baseball stadium that struck out.

As the McHenry County College Board and a majority of the Crystal Lake City Council learned, most people don’t think their tax dollars should be used to prop up those wanting to build sports stadiums.

Now, Crain’s Chicago Business has popped for a 600-person survey on the subject.

Aimed at the efforts of the owners of Wrigley Field and the United Center to secure government subsidies, the survey, of course, does not mention the efforts of the MCC Board to force taxpayers to be the backup source to pay off millions and millions of dollars of bonds, if the proposed minor leage baseball team went belly up.

But, I imagine there would be similar results if MCC taxpayers or Woodstock taxpayers were asked if they wanted to shell out tax dollars to help pay for a sports stadium.

Quoting from the story:

“A whopping 80 percent — the majorities were overwhelming in Chicago, the suburbs and elsewhere — are opposed, agreeing that teams ‘as companies should pay their full tax no matter what.'”

That dropped to 50% against when the Cubs and United Center proposals were outlined, a bit lower in the suburbs (where, I would note, there would not be a cost for the proposed Chicago tax breaks for the stadium owners).


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