By Allan Wall
10/17/2017
The struggle with the National Football League continues (see Trump is Winning War with NFL — And So is America ) and Republican Matt Gaetz of Florida’s First District has introduced a bill to hit the arrogant NFL where it hurts.It is bizarre to see the NFL attacking an America that has treated it so well over the years. Taxpayers pay over 70 percent of the cost of stadiums. Our citizens pay more and more for tickets, and valuations of professional sports franchises have skyrocketed. Player compensation keeps growing. But the NFL Commissioner’s office can choose at any point to stop paying taxes altogether.As Representative Gaetz points out, this same organization that is insulting Middle America in the name of “free speech” is actually on the dole from the taxpayers. And the taxpayers shouldn’t stand for it.The NFL is attacking an America that has treated it very well. Time to end the tax breaks, by Matt Gaetz, Fox News, October 15, 2017
Nobody is saying pro-athletes must give up protest rights because of their job. They should simply protest on their own time, and on their own dime, like any other American. Owners who require their players to stand for the national anthem and flag should be commended, and the players who choose to play elsewhere have that right.And what about these tax breaks?
As for the NFL Commissioner’s office, why do they get special treatment in the tax code in the first place? Why do any professional sports leagues enjoy tax advantages unavailable to regular folks or small businesses? Special loopholes in the tax code for pro-sports leagues will shortchange the U.S. Treasury by over $150 million during the current budget window.Representative Gaetz has a solution:
I have offered the PRO Sports Act to abolish these exemptions. Going forward, perhaps pro-athletes won’t just take a knee — maybe they will take a stand for the solutions to the social ailments they observe. All Americans should and always must enjoy full access to First Amendment rights, but nobody has the right to expect special tax treatment while disrespecting our flag.I think this would garner support in Middle America. Representative Gaetz, by the way, has an A+ from Numbers USA so he’s good on immigration.
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