Posts Tagged Tim Hagan
Cuyahoga County Keeps Taking Extra Millions from Taxpayers
Posted by Roldo Bartimole in Economic Development, Politicians on March 5th, 2010
March 5, 2010… The quarter-percent sales tax for the medical mart has now cost County taxpayers $87 million. MMPI, Tim Hagan and his Kennedy friends thank you all. Keep it coming, says Tim.
This is to fulfill the agenda of the Greater Cleveland Partnership. The corrupters of our civic life mentioned in my post below. The takers in our community life.
Since January 2008 through February 2010 County taxpayers have paid via the County Commissioners voted sales tax increase $87,131,339.38 for the med mart & convention center project.
That’s $87 million in slightly over two years. How it rolls in!
That is $87 million that could not be spent on food, gasoline, restaurants, toys, theater tickets or even cigarettes. In other words, this is $87 million worth of anti-stimulus money for Cuyahoga County businesses. It’s all take, no give.
That wasn’t the end of our contributions, however.
We have also contributed $63 million for the Browns. Is it in any way worth it? That’s more income really for Randy Lerner and family. Stimulus for the billionaires. And, of course, for the putrid football team.
We’ve been paying sales “sin” taxes on alcohol and cigarette products for the Browns Stadium (used maybe 9 or 10 times a year) since August 2005. It simply picked up from Gateway’s taxes. But you did vote for it.
The total take is $63,088,767.28. Thank you suckers, says Randy.
Just for the fun of it, here’s how the tax breaks down:
Cigarette smokers gave: $14.3 million.
Alcohol drinkers gave: $22.8 million.
Beer drinkers gave: $20.6 million.
Wine & Mixed beverage drinkers gave: $5.1 million.
That is $63 million that can’t be spent on food, gasoline, restaurants, toys, theater tickets or even cigarettes. To say nothing of rent and your mortgage. Another anti-stimulus poke to the wallet and a loss for Cuyahoga County businesses.
It comes in small bites but it’s somebody’s big free dinner.
The arts & culture tax has netted $58 million of your tax dollars since February 2007. The exact take was $58,061,190.71.
The taxes come primarily from cigarette smokers.
The total extra taxes – all highly regressive – total well more than $200 million taken in highly regressive taxes, the kind wealth people love to impose on ordinary, hard-working people.
You know most of it is only the beginning. Because the taxes remain for years and years to come. I doubt that anyone will legally challenge these taxes by a vote.
Gund Grant to Cleveland Schools… Such an Irony
Posted by Roldo Bartimole in Economic Development, Politicians on February 28th, 2010
February 28, 2010… Think of the irony of it. The Gund Foundation is giving the Cleveland schools $2.5 million of dollars, according to a Page one story today in The Plain Dealer. Isn’t it ironic – or at amusing – or a dime on a dollar – that the Gund family took MANY millions FROM the city’s schools.
The Gunds were big property tax evaders.
Yes, it is a good move for the Gund Foundation to give $2.5 million with a promise of more. We should applaud for it. But let’s not get teary eyed.
It is so much as how the world works.
The rich get richer and they bequeath tax-free pennies from those they took.
The Gunds – George and Gordon – of course, once owned the Cleveland Cavaliers. Our sales (sin) taxes built the arena for them. They took us for plenty of dough.
They also benefited from an arena free of property taxes – millions of dollars each year. Most of it, ironically, from the schools. Cleveland schools that is. A peak at how millions are lost:
http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/11689
The Gunds bought the Cavs from Ted Stepien before the 1983-83 season for some $20 million. The brothers sold the team for $375 million in 2005. Nice profit. After, of course, we provided them with a new arena. And parking. And a couple of free loges. Nice deal if you can get it. And if you have the dough you can.
Ironically, David Abbott in the early 1990s was Cuyahoga County chief administrator. Gateway was launched in May 1990. Abbott, who left in 1993, was a Tim Hagan man. Tim, of course, promoted Gateway. He was chief lobbyist, along with Mike White, in obtaining a full tax exemption for the arena building. It will never pay property taxes.
Abbott today has his picture on the PD front page as Gund Foundation executive director ($300,000 a year). He has certainly become a favorite person of the Pee Dee, where (maybe another irony) he once was a reporter.
And not to be paranoid or anything, Abbott also was an original board member of the Gateway Economic Development Corp. Gateway was very, very good to the Gunds. Gateway board members sort of ignored big overruns on the Gund arena. No good deed goes unrewarded in this game.
Abbott is a past director of University Circle, Inc. UCI is pressing hard for the Opportunity Corridor $375-million road to UC. Of course, the Gund Foundation gave the road project pushers $100,000 to start.
Money goes round and round. Some sometimes trickles down to where it is needed.