Quote:
Originally Posted by Tapioca
Very few stadiums are completely funded by private money; only the most elite sports teams in the world are able to fund stadiums. I'm not saying that sports teams should be subsidized by the taxpayer, but the reality is that they are and it's politically expedient to do so - after all, commoners want their share of bread and circuses.
I think everyone recognizes that we need businesses downtown; in fact there are a number of new office buildings that will be completed over the next 5 years. However, businesses don't come here unless you create the climate. What do you suggest? Lower taxes? (they are already quite low) Subsidies and grants? (politically problematic) Intervention in the housing market so that talent will move here? (Again, politically problematic)
To be fair, I don't know what the answers are either. I think at the end of the day, the government should focus its energies on making sure that smart people don't leave and that we can attract people who actually want to live here and contribute to the economy. How does this translate into tangible policies? That's the million dollar question.
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you're completely right on your first point, but the PARTIAL (very important word, not 100% like here) government funding is returned through taxes generated by stadium (i.e. from the people coming to watch lions, whitecaps, etc).
i'm not going to talk about what I think we should do to improve the business culture downtown, as it is extremely harsh, and would not be popular with the masses... but would need to be done to right the wrongs of decades of poor planning and foresight by local government