I’ve said this before- and I’ll say it again: if the budget with the arts ticket tax is passed, concert tickets in the city of Harrisburg will be taxed an astronomical SIXTEEN PERCENT. (Ten percent local amusement tax, six percent sales tax)
I’m borrowing this text from LiveNation.com and seriously urging all of you who read this blog to simply copy and paste the following email addresses and message text into an email and reach out to your lawmakers.
Protect the industry which provides you with the most fun and enjoyment. It’s one of the few things we have left…
Send an email to the politicians listed below:
jscarnati@pasen.gov; dpileggi@pasen.gov; jcorman@pasen.gov; kmccall@pahouse.net; teachus@pahouse.net; devans@hacd.net; mellow@pasenate.com; costa@pasenate.com; mkeller@pahousegop.com; lfarnese@pasenate.com; kitchen@pasenate.com; jwilliam@pahouse.net; dwhite@pasen.gov; dreed@pahousegop.com; pbrowne@pasen.gov; ferlo@pasenate.com; dlevdans@pahouse.net; jearll@pasen.gov; Fontana@pasenate.com; tkirklan@pahouse.net; parep160@aol.com; jwheatley@pahouse.net; fontana2@pasenate.com
Subject:
Kill the Arts Tax
Copy and paste the following text into the new email:
I buy tickets to live performances in Pennsylvania, and I strongly oppose the Arts Tax because it will cause top performing acts to eliminate Pennsylvania tour sites. I urge you to oppose the Arts Tax, which would add state sales tax to all ticket prices for live performance concerts and shows statewide. Keep It Live in Pennsylvania! Kill the Arts Tax instead!
The arts set themselves up for this tax when they started demanding public tax support. PA taxpayers fund many arts and museum organizations to the tune of millions of dollars. (See – the tale of Faust) They danced with the devil, now they must pay the price.
These tax dollars will be focused on meeting the many demands the arts and museums place on government for funding.
As an alternative they could all swear off tax dollar support. If they presented a united front to swear off the tax dollars, they might be able to kill the tax. This means WAMs, too. In Bucks and Montgomery counties the WAM Arts and Museum dollars were nearly $1million over 2 years.
I see your point, Ed, but I have to counter: what about the for-profit, independent guys like myself?
I get ZERO tax dollar assistance. In fact, independent promoters in Harrisburg are taxed more than anyone.
Rest assured that a 16% tax on gross will eliminate concerts: the margin just isn’t there.
Most museums accept “voluntary donations” in order to maintain exemption from Federal tax, having the effect of making their admissions receipts also not taxable under State law: the museums and arts organizations will continue to receive subsidies and will continue see receipts, with the receipts not subject to the same 16% tax paid by for-profit businesses. It is a perverse logic in which the for-profit businesses are, in effect, funding their competitors.