The NFL is getting billions of dollars from the taxpayers of America. NFL stadiums have received an estimated $6.7 billion from taxpayers over the last two decades.
Yesterday, the President called out this “little tid-bit” in a shout out on Twitter.
Why is the NFL getting massive tax breaks while at the same time disrespecting our Anthem, Flag and Country? Change tax law!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2017
Team owners usually reap big tax breaks from local, state, and federal officials to help build expensive new stadiums and keep a football team in the community.
Fox News Tucker Carlson featured the issue on the special tax loopholes that NFL sports leagues on his show on Monday night.
https://youtu.be/8VnwIcT0RYA?t=1m12s;rel=0&w=550
Here are some key facts taken from a Time article back on April 28, 2015.
The NFL has historically filed as a 501 (c)(6) non-profit, which provides tax-exemptions for “business leagues, chambers of commerce, real estate boards, boards of trade, and professional football leagues.”
How did football get written into the tax code?
The NFL’s teams, who see a bulk of the league’s $11 billion in revenue, are taxable entities. So the NFL does pay taxes. The league office is tax-exempt, but it generated just $9 million in income during the 2012 tax year.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Remember him calling the exemption a distraction? Well, the largest distraction has been the required public disclosure of his enormous compensation — $44 million in 2012, and $35 million in 2013.
Weird how the NFL only generated $9 million, and the commissioner received compensation of $35-$44 million.
Without the tax exemption, the NFL is under no legal obligation to release its commissioner’s salary. Major League Baseball made a similar move in 2007, when it relinquished its tax exemption – and no longer had to disclose the pay of commissioner Bud Selig, which had exceeded $18 million.
So, this was a political move by Goodell to hide his salary.
I for one am very much interested in not having my hard-earned money going to help pay multi-millionaires who hate our country, the American Flag and American tax-payers who don’t support their progressive activism.