Sen. Carla Nelson: No Taxpayer dollars for Vikings Stadium
State Senator Carla Nelson, the Republican from SD30, tells KIMT-TV that while pretty much all of the lawmakers want the Vikings to stay in Minnesota, "it's just about unanimous that nobody feels we should be using taxpayer dollars, general fund dollars to pay for that."
Nelson instead suggests that a "creative financing proposal" may be used to retain the team.
What might the "creative proposal" be? Might the suburban GOP majority simply force urban taxpayers to foot the bill for a stadium with a sales tax? Perhaps. The reality is that regardless of what "plan" they use, the Vikings will receive ongoing subsidies that other businesses don't enjoy--in the form of a permanent property tax holiday. They get that holiday by "letting" the government own the stadium. Meanwhile, they get free police and fire protection. How fair is that?
Published January 4, 2011 10:59 PM