July 30, 2012

Two-thirds of Atlantans say public money for Falcons stadium is a crappy idea

Another day, another poll showing that people don't like spending tax money on stadiums, at least not when you phrase it like that. An Atlanta Journal Constitution poll of 625 metro Atlanta residents found that 67% oppose using hotel-motel taxes to build a new retractable-roofed stadium for the Falcons, while only 23% approve.

Sometimes (like, presumably, now) teams and local officials will push hotel taxes instead of, say, sales taxes as a funding mechanism on the theory that people would rather tax the fellow behind the tree. But that isn't helping much in this case, apparently:

Susan Hamilton of Lawrenceville said the tax wouldn't affect her "because I don't stay in downtown hotels," but she questioned the timing of the issue.

"It hasn't been that long since they got a new stadium," she said. "They probably could get by without it a while longer. This is not the economy to be taxing anybody extra."