May 6, 2008
The South County (MO) Journal on ?Jock Taxes?
Controversial tax sparks debate, by Shawn Clubb
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The crack of a bat on a baseball and the twang of a guitar string both produce the same sound in Missouri—that of money clinking into the state's coffers.
It's a welcome sound for public arts groups including the Missouri Arts Council, but a sour note for some venues that struggle with it when booking bands.
The issue? Missouri's non-resident athlete and entertainer tax. The state taxes professional athletes and the people who travel and work with them 6 percent on what they earn here. It taxes performers and their associates 2 percent.
The Kansas City Symphony filed a lawsuit over the tax, while some Missouri legislators are backing a bill that would change how the money is allocated. Meanwhile, it seems there are few performance or sports venues where the tax goes unnoticed.
Joe Edwards of Blueberry Hill and The Pageant in The University City Loop wishes the tax would just go away.
He said it's something bands and the people who book the bands consider when deciding whether to play at one of his venues or instead play in a state that doesn't tax entertainers.
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Missouri created its non-resident athlete and entertainer tax in 1994. The Washington, D.C.-based Tax Foundation found that by 2004, 20 of 24 states with professional sports teams had instituted non-resident athlete taxes. These states include New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Michigan, Colorado and Arizona. [Read the full article.]
