Wisconsin & publicly funded sports stadiums everywhere for @thecentersquare. Email jstyf(at)thecentersquare.com.
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If only someone would have informed the public that all these projections were inaccurate before the event.
Gosh, if only someone had warned this might happen. Again, it's time to stop taking these economic impact "projections" seriously. ajc.com/business/2026/07/wor…
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This is the group (Econsult Solutions) that UW-Madison athletics paid to make claims about the impact of football games which lawmakers recited during debate on the $15M annual facility payments in the NIL bill.
How many times do journalists need to be told: There's no law that just because somebody in a fancy suit issues a press release means you have to write about it. Especially when you ask to see the report the press release is about and are told, "No." fieldofschemes.com/2026/07/0…
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I disagree entirely that the financial math for the team is "unquestionably better in Indiana." In fact, it isn't close. Being able to pay for a development in AH with sales tax (same as the state paying for it through general revenue, BTW) and Bears keeping all revenue is huge.
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The use of “sales tax increment” here is wild. Yes, the additional sales tax beyond what they currently get here…
And.... as I have stated so many times... the district around the stadium is where the Bears will gain so much revenue. This clause allows that to be a STAR bond district and have the development costs paid off with a tax capture. Yep.
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A key element of this would be what it means for the development outside the stadium. The taxes on the entire property are key because we know the Bears want a residential/commercial mix.
With the megaprojects bill dead in the Illinois Senate, lawmakers are drafting a last-minute audible that'd let local governments create stadium authorities — potentially allowing the Bears to avoid property taxes altogether. The latest from Springfield: capitolnewsillinois.com/news…
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Neil isn’t an economist but he certainly understands the failure of this attempting to say that ANY property tax money from the Bears is a net positive because there is not currently development at Arlington Park. It is painful watching people try to claim that.
A Bears-only tax break bill "is more viable in the Senate than the House," says Crain's, leaving the possibility that the senate could revise the megaprojects bill to gain passage there, but couldn't win the support of the house in reconciliation talks. fieldofschemes.com/2026/05/2…
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Propheter provided me with estimates in February of what a tax break for the entire development in February thecentersquare.com/illinois…
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It’s good to see the Cook
County Treasurer report citing actual subject matter experts, such as Geoffrey Propheter cookcountytreasurer.com/papp…
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It’s wild we are at this point and don’t have clarification on how the Bears would work the outside-the-stadium development related to the PILOT, so you can’t even properly estimate the amount of the tax break. It makes misunderstanding the ask easily possible.
Allowing big development projects to set their own property tax bills could cost city, county, and Illinois state treasuries billions — plus the Bears want $855m in infrastructure money, and the bill would allow diverting sales tax funds as well. fieldofschemes.com/2026/05/2…
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Just to clarify, the messaging from Gov. Evers said "cash tips" but the exemption in the actual bill applies to both cash and charged tips, matching the federal income tax exemption.
This was what Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said when he vetoed the OT and cash tips tax exemption... that it treated different categories of workers differently for taxes, so he would not approve it.
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You will hear a lot about tax cuts or tax relief in the Wisconsin Legislature today. What actually is happening is that the state has collected more than it expected from taxpayers. $870M is being spent on $300 or $600 refund checks for '24 taxes while tax collections increase.
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Virginia’s data center sales tax exemption is main cog of budget debate. Those who say states must have em to lure businesses should note that states are looking to do away with the exemptions now because they are so costly. If no one gives them, data centers will still be built.
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TPA pushes for a truly open sports wagering marketplace in Wisconsin
🔥NEW: Wisconsin just took a step forward for consumers.
AB 601 legalizes mobile sports betting—expanding access, improving protections, and pulling activity out of illegal markets.
protectingtaxpayers.org/stat…
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.@WisconsinWatch got ahold of a new Legislative Audit Bureau estimate that shows an estimate of how much… $2B
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Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin introduced a bill to prevent pro sports leagues from blacking out local games and requiring that games be provided free to local fans. This as the Regional Sports Networks have failed financially already, w/ the Brewers losing $20M with Brewers TV.
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