Every now and then, a Republican gets on board with a good idea:
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) on Wednesday proposed legislation that would strip the National Football League's tax-exempt status.
Chaffetz said professional football and hockey leagues are for-profit entities that don't need an unfair tax break. He offered the measure days before the Super Bowl, the nation's most popular sporting event of the year.
"In reality, the NFL and the NHL are for-profit businesses, and they should be taxed as such," he said. "They are not charities nor are they traditional trade organizations like local chambers of commerce."
Taxing sports leagues would not exactly raise big bucks for the federal government—just $109 million over 10 years. But money aside, it's an important precedent: There's no reason these for-profit businesses should keep that money while other for-profit businesses pay taxes. Especially not while taking taxpayers for
billions in subsidies. This should be a no-brainer.