Chase the Money

Developers in Atlanta want us to have the latest “hot” venues and they want taxpayers to pay for it.  That’s why we replace all professional sports stadiums every 20 years.  Jet setters only want to go to shiny new stadiums with the latest lounge designs.  I’m forever amazed why taxpayers put up with this.  The local city and county government expenses for this piece of “trickle up” redistribution is enormous.

I don’t understand why the corporations that own these sports teams are not expected to spend their own money to build these stadiums. It’s bad enough that local taxes have to pay for highway and road expansion whenever one of these stadiums move.  The same goes for airports.  I would expect the airlines to pay the lions’ share of these costs, but they don’t.

“Economic Development” tax subsidies for land owners, developers, public transit, consultants, cronies and builders blurs the lines between public and private funds and responsibilities.  Most public private partnerships result in failed projects that need to be sold several times, like Atlantic Station. Taxpayers should refuse to continue to allow this scam to continue. This includes tax holidays and direct aid from taxpayers to get corporations to locate within their borders. The State Laws that allow this to occur should be repealed. 

CIDs are Community Improvement Districts, authorized to tap into tax money to feather their own nest.  The most egregious abuse is their lobbying for MARTA train access. The latest MARTA initiative would cost taxpayers $8 billion in construction expense that will deliver $200 million a year in operating losses that need to be subsidized by taxpayers through sales taxes.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader