Federal lawmakers introduce legislation to end tax exemption for sports stadiums as football stadium bill moves forward in Virginia

By Nathaniel Cline ncline@loudountimes.com 15 hrs ago

Updated Information
This story was updated to include remarks from a Loudoun County spokesperson.

Lawmakers in Congress on Tuesday introduced legislation that would end the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds used to finance professional sports stadiums, according to legislative officials. ... The No Tax Subsidies for Stadiums Act of 2022 comes as the Washington Commanders consider moving to a new home, potentially in Loudoun County.

Congressman Don Beyer (D), who represents Virginia’s 8th Congressional District, which encompasses Arlington County, the cities of Alexandria and Falls Church, and portions of Fairfax County, joined two other lawmakers in introducing the legislation. ... Since 2000, subsidies for financing professional sports stadiums have cost taxpayers $4.3 billion, despite the billions of dollars in profits that NFL clubs and other professional sports team owners reap each year, officials said in a Feb. 22 statement.

“Super-rich sports team owners like Dan Snyder do not need federal support to build their stadiums, and taxpayers should not be forced to fund them,” Beyer said in a prepared statement. ... “Billionaire owners who need cash can borrow from the market like any other business,” he said. “Arguments that stadiums boost job creation have been repeatedly discredited. In a time when there is a debate over whether the country can ‘afford’ investments in health care, child care, education, or fighting climate change, it is ridiculous to even contemplate such a radical misuse of publicly subsidized bonds.”

Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.-10th), who tweeted earlier this month that the team’s owner can spend his own money for a new stadium, is reviewing the legislation, according to a spokesperson. ... She made the remarks as legislation in the Virginia General Assembly that would facilitate the building of a new home for the Washington Commanders football team moves forward. ... “Dan Snyder can spend his own fortune on his new stadium,” Wexton wrote. “Taxpayer dollars should benefit taxpayers, not billionaire sports team owners—especially not those whose organization has been under investigation for a culture of sexual harassment.”

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Nathaniel Cline
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