June 23, 2017

Dear Senators Booker and Lankford and Congressman Russell:

On behalf of more than 3.2 million Americans for Prosperity activists in all 50 states, I write in
strong support of your bi-partisan legislation (S. 1342 and H.R. 811) the No Tax Subsidies for
Stadiums Act. This important bill would finally end a decades old tax mistake that has led to
taxpayers spending billions of dollars on subsidies for millionaire and billionaire professional
sports team owners to build stadiums.

The No Tax Subsidies for Stadiums Act would end the federal income tax exemption for
municipal bonds that are used for professional sports stadiums. Although the merits of the
federal tax exemption on municipal bonds is debatable, its clear the intent of this exemption is
to fund public work projects. Construction of schools, sewers, and streets all serve a clear public
purpose while sports stadiums for professional teams do not.

Beyond the fact that use of public funds is completely inappropriate use of taxpayer funding, its
also ineffective. Studies from organizations like the Brookings Institute and Mercatus
demonstrate that the promised economic benefits of stadium subsidies fail to materialize. Most of
the economic activity generated by theses sports franchises come at the expense of other leisure
activities. This return on investment is hardly a good use of $3.2 billion in federal taxpayer
subsidies.

Congress intended to end stadium subsidies with its last major tax overhaul in 1986, but to a
loophole kept let the subsidies continue. As tax reform looms on the horizon, reforming many of
the special interest exemptions and loopholes becomes paramount.

The No Tax Subsidies for Stadiums Act achieves a common sense and bi-partisan solution to the
problem of federal stadium subsidies. As Americans for Prosperity continues to fight stadium
subsidies on the local, state and federal level this legislation will be an important instrument in
this fight.

For these and other reasons Americans for Prosperity is proud to support S. 1342 and H.R. 811
and we encourage your colleagues to support it.

Sincerely,

Chrissy Harbin
Vice President of External Affairs
Americans for Prosperity

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) exists to recruit, educate, and mobilize citizens in support of the policies and goals of a free society at the local,
state, and federal level, helping every American live their dream especially the least fortunate. AFP has more than 2.8 million activists across
the nation, a local infrastructure that includes 35 state chapters, and has received financial support from more than 100,000 Americans in all 50
states. For more information, visit www.AmericansForProsperity.org.
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