Tax Breaks For Pro Sports Teams

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorUniversity, Bachelor's February 2008

download word file, 3 pages 3.0

When most people talk about giving our professional sports teams tax breaks the general feeling among most of them is a negative one. Most of them argue either that the already wealthy owners and players should not be getting tax benefits, or that the tax dollars should be put into more important things in society, such as schools and hospitals. Despite there being many strong arguments against this issue, there are many positive aspects to giving out professional sports teams tax breaks as well.

One positive aspect that comes out of giving professional sports teams tax breaks, which in turn encourages them to stay in that city that they are currently in, is that a professional sports teams is good for a community. Pro sports play an important role in our lives and for most people provide a link to the past. Doctors have said that sports represent islands of stability for people in a fast-paced world that is constantly changing.

Furthermore, ties for a favourite team provide an emotional anchor that makes people feel connected to their community, their families and their past.

Another example of a positive quality that results in giving pro sports teams tax breaks, in particular Canadian hockey teams, is that tax relief would allow the maintenance of our national pastime, a game so much a part of the fabric of the country that many Canadians cannot imagine life without it. Moreover, this great debate would not still be roaring on as strong in Canada had some of he policies that were thought up, were actually followed through on. For example, one action plan was that the government would have allowed accelerated capital cost allowances on arenas, for instance, teams could concentrate tax write-offs into fewer years. As well, Canadian NHL teams argued that since...