Huffington Post - Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) signed legislation Wednesday that commits hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer money to a new arena for the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, a move that could complicate the Republican presidential candidate’s efforts to paint himself as the most ardent small-government conservative in a crowded field.
Walker and state GOP leaders pushed the arena plan for months, especially as the team's owners threatened to move the Bucks to a new market. The deal requires the team's current and former owners to cover half of the arena's $500 million projected cost, while taxpayers will cover the rest -- with interest, the public cost could rise to as much as $400 million. But at the signing ceremony Wednesday, Walker repeated claims that the arena would return $3 for every $1 invested into the project.
... This is not the first time Walker has thrown public funds into a sports facility. In 1995, he backed a plan that raised sales taxes on residents of the Milwaukee area to help finance a new stadium for baseball’s Milwaukee Brewers. The tax was originally scheduled to sunset in 2010, but because of funding shortfalls from lower-than-projected revenues, analysts now expect it to remain in effect until 2020.
... Two members of the Bucks' ownership group donated $200,000 to the super PAC backing Walker’s presidential campaign, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.
1 comment:
Walkeer should be prosecuted for acepting bribes. And he ought to know that tax breaks and subsidies for millionaires are stupid and do not produce any ecobnomic benefits. But he is the stupid one.
Post a Comment