Ah, yet another example of Republicans who love huge corporations so much they're willing to violate every principle of free market economics to help them. Here's installment No. 423, which takes us to the Arizona House of Representatives.
This one is familiar: a raise in taxes in order to fund a private facility for a for-profit corporation...in this case, the Chicago Cubs.
More on this stellar advocate of getting Government out of Business below the flip.
PHOENIX -- An Arizona lawmaker has introduced a bill to raise money for a new spring training facility for the Chicago Cubs.
Phoenix Republican Rep. John McComish introduced the measure late Monday. It would increase car-rental taxes and levy a surcharge on all tickets for spring-training baseball games in Arizona.
The bill does not specify an amount for the tax or surcharge. McComish has said those details will be worked out later. McComish says the state needs to raise $59 million of the stadium's $84 million cost.
Owners of other baseball teams that train in Arizona last week said a ticket surcharge would be an unfair expense on their fans. Cubs supporters have said all teams benefit from the Cubs because the Chicago team increases attendance at their away games.
So let's do the checklist here: diverting tax dollars to a private enterprise, check; picking winners (the Cubs) and losers (every other team in Arizona) in the free market, check; imposing a tax on two different industries, one to pay for the other (the rental car industry to pay for a segment of the baseball/entertainment industry), check; laying it on the backs of consumers (baseball fans), check.
Here's the link for information about the bill.
This isn't just another member of the Arizona house. McComish is the Majority Whip for the House.
Here he is signing a letter opposing Waxman Cap and Trade because of the unfair effect of taxes on the average American family, with such buddies as the National Taxpayers Union. I wonder where the NTU stands on corporate subsidies for ballparks using taxes on private business?
Here's McComish again, supporting a bill that would add (by definition regressive) sales taxes to pay for business tax credits. Talk about picking winners and losers!