Tax exemption for large sporting events heads to governor's desk
ATLANTA - The Georgia State Senate approved a bill Wednesday to extend a tax exemption on tickets to non-recurring, major sporting events.
"In order to be in the running for those events, we have to have an exemption for the sales tax or they simply will not come," said state Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, as he presented the bill on the Senate floor.
Lawmakers initially approved the sales tax break in 2016 ahead of Atlanta hosting the 2018 College Football National Championship and the 2019 Super Bowl. The city was also supposed to play host to the 2020 Final Four, but it was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The exemption was set to expire at the end of 2022, so the new bill extends it through 2031 and adds the FIFA World Cup to the list of qualifying events. Atlanta is one of several U.S. cities still in the running to host matches during the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
"What's exciting about the World Cup both for the FIFA World Cup in soccer as well as the Rugby World Cup is they come in for more than just a single game. They come in for a series of matches," explained Sen. Albers. "Some of the economic impact is about $200-400 million in the State of Georgia, which is extraordinary. Think about all of our small businesses that get to benefit and why we're so proud to be the number one place to do business."
A handful of Senators, though, voted against the measure.
"I don't think we need a sales tax exemption for those to locate in our state," said state Sen. Bill Cowsert, R-Athens.
Sen. Cowsert also expressed continued disgust with Major League Baseball's decision to relocate the All-Star Game last summer after lawmakers approved a controversial voting law.
"You've got many of these same major league sports that are highly critical of the Republican legislature in Georgia. Then they come back begging for tax considerations for these billionaire owners," said Sen. Cowsert. "We're subsidizing their stadiums. We're fully supporting them and then they at will yank the All-Star Game from the State of Georgia just because they don't like the way we voted politically and come right back with their hand out wanting concessions here on sales taxes that they keep."
The legislation now heads to Governor Brian Kemp's desk for his signature.
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