Texas Taxpayers Foot $2.7 Million Bill for WrestleMania

[TexasTowelie]

Gov. Greg Abbott has agreed to spend up to $2.7 million in taxpayer funds to bring the barrage of blood, sweat and spandex that is WrestleMania to Texas next year.

During his 2014 campaign for governor, Abbott expressed discomfort with such taxpayer-funded economic incentives, saying he wanted to get government "out of the business of picking winners and losers.”

But last week, his office signed off on the award from the state’s Events Trust Fund, state records show, one of 20 such awards approved since September. That's when the governor's office took the reins of a few incentive programs designed to strengthen Texas' hand in vying for large sporting events and conferences from the state comptroller's office.

The Events Trust Fund is designed to defray the costs of some large events by paying state taxes collected during the events, such as those levied on hotel reservations and car rentals, back to event organizers. Local governments or nonprofits they authorize must approve the events, and the cities that host them are required to chip in some of their local tax receipts, too.

Read more: http://www.texastribune.org/2015/12/11/texas-spending-27-million-wrestlemania/

[BlueJazz]

1. Well, it's about time that some forward-looking people start demanding we fund the "Arts"

[DhhD]

2. Supporting what for the good of whom?

[TheBlackAdder]

3. That's the $64,000 cronyism question. Capitalize Profits, Socialize Expenses. nt