Johnson Helps Keep Major Events in Michigan
Legislation that would encourage major sporting events to locate in Michigan passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee and now moves to the Senate Floor, said State Senator Shirley Johnson (R-13, Troy).
Sponsored by Johnson, Senate Bills 1372 and 1373 would extend the current sales tax exemptions given on sponsor packages at certain major sporting events. Such events include the Super Bowl, PGA Championship and the NCAA basketball tournament. The current tax exemption is set to expire on January 1, 2007.
The driving force behind the legislative package is the success of the 2006 Super Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit and the 2004 Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills.
By extending the tax exemption to include the NCAA Basketball tournament and the PGA Championship, sports organizations will be allowed to sell sponsorship packages at the event. The packages are an integral part of a major sporting event’s promotion.
I'm glad that Senator Johnson took a leadership role on this issue and that the Committee acted on it. Now, however, I hope that the full Senate as well as their counterparts in the State House act swiftly to approve it.
Of couse, I can't help but contrast Senator Johnson's bill with State Senator Nancy Cassis (R-15, Novi) and her decision to keep an incentive package bottled up in the Senate Finance Committee that was designed to attract film and television production to the Great Lakes State. Cassis' unwillingness to let this legislative package has already cost Michigan more than $1 billion in new investments and jobs.
